Chandler Warns Poirier About Moving Up To Welterweight

Michael Chandler has warned Dustin Poirier about moving up to welterweight. 

Poirier has been campaigning at lightweight for some time, however, his last fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 291 did not go to plan.

A leg kick to the head dropped him in the second round, as Gaethje picked up the BMF title. In the aftermath of the fight, Poirier hinted that he could move up to welterweight.

And yet, Chandler suggested that Poirier is not the biggest lightweight out there. Therefore, a move up to welterweight may hinder his chances against much bigger opponents. 

Chandler On Poirier

“If I’m Dustin Poirier or Dustin Poirier’s management, he’s not a big 155-pounder. Some people would say that he could make 145. Case and point, it was Tony Ferguson and Nate Diaz and that whole debacle with [Khamzat] Chimaev. He stepped on a scale and took a picture of himself and he was in the 170s.

“I’m about 190 right now, he’s not a big lightweight. I don’t think it’s smart for him to go up to 170. You get hit with a 170-pound punch, it’s a lot harder than getting hit by someone at 155… I’m tapping out, well again. Stay at 155,” Chandler

With that being said, there is an incentive for Chandler to have his say on Poirier. After all, the pair do have some history. They faced each other at UFC 281 on the card of Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira.

During the course of that process, the duo did have an intense fight. However, it was Poirier who came out on top with a third round victory.

Poirier had managed to stop his opponent with a rear naked choke. And those comments may hype up a desire to run things back.

After all, Chandler’s comments following the loss were quite telling.

“I’m happy with my performance except for the fact that I lost. you you know you have always had that optimism that you’re gonna get back up to the top but is this the part of the sport that sucks,” Chandler