Dustin Poirier shares prediction for upcoming Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler fight: “He’s just too hittable”

UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier is leaning toward Conor McGregor to defeat Michael Chandler.

Late last week, Dana White announced that ‘The Notorious’ and ‘Iron’ would coach the next season of The Ultimate Fighter. The show is slated to begin broadcasting in May, with a clash later this year yet to be announced. While the date isn’t known, Ariel Helwani has previously reported the bout will take place at welterweight.

If there’s a man who knows both lightweight contenders well, it’s ‘The Diamond’. Poirier has shared the cage with McGregor on three occasions, defeating him twice by stoppage. Meanwhile, the Louisiana native’s most recent fight was against Chandler at UFC 281 last November, where he won by submission.

In a recent interview with Weighing In, Dustin Poirier previewed the upcoming clash between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler. There, the former UFC interim lightweight champion stated that he was leaning toward the Irishman. Poirier also noted that if the former champion returns at the same level he did prior to his leg break in 2021, he will win by stoppage.

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“Either guy can win,” Dustin Poirier stated in a recent interview with Weighing In. “I think if Conor comes back with the same timing and speed that he had before the injury, if he comes back to that, he’s gonna stop Chandler. Chandler’s very hittable. Conor’s a guy that when you’re in front of him, it looks like he can’t touch you, but he touches you. He’s longer than he looks when he’s in there. He uses his length and speed and timing really well to close that distance.”

He continued, “Chandler’s a guy who needs explosive movements to get in and out. If Conor’s timing’s the same, I think he hurts Chandler. It’s gonna be a five-round fight, Conor doesn’t fight co-mains or three-round fights. So, if Chandler can get in there, get some blood in his legs, and get him to wrestle hard for the first few rounds, maybe it goes different. But if Conor has any similarity to who he used to be before the injury and before the layoff, I think he stops Chandler. He’s just too hittable. But I will give him this, he is more durable than I thought he’d be. I really thought I’d get him out of there when I hit him with some good clean shots and he was still there. We’ll see.”

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