Dustin Poirier isn’t too familiar with Michael Chandler, but he knows Justin Gaethje all too well.
Poirier beat Gaethje via fourth-round TKO in a Fight of the Night classic at UFC on FOX 29, but ‘The Diamond’ didn’t walk away from the cage scot-free.
That’s why he’s picking Gaethje to beat Chandler when both men square off in the octagon at UFC 268 on Nov. 6.
“I kind of favor Gaethje in that matchup,” Poirier said on American Top Team’s “Punchin’ In” podcast (h/t MMAJunkie.com). “Chandler is going to have trouble getting him down, holding him down and to avoid those big shots.”
Poirier revealed that he actually partially tore his quad as a result of Gaethje’s vicious leg kicks and explained what makes the latter such a dangerous opponent for just about everyone in the lightweight division — Chandler included.
“Gaethje probably, he partially tore my quad,” Poirier said. “In the fight, him not caring about position and throwing kicks as hard as he can just to land them, not worrying about repercussions – no setups.”
Gaethje vs. Chandler is tentatively scheduled for UFC 268 in New York, but ‘Iron’ Mike revealed he may not be able to compete in NYC because he isn’t fully vaccinated.
As for Poirier, the UFC veteran is expected to challenge Charles Oliveira for the lightweight title this fall. The Louisianan recently beat Conor McGregor via first-round stoppage at UFC 264 to close out their trilogy 2-1. He is currently #1 in the UFC lightweight rankings.
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