Michael Chandler warns Dustin Poirier of potential welterweight move: “It’s not smart”
UFC lightweight Michael Chandler believes Dustin Poirier should think twice about welterweight.
‘The Diamond’ is fresh off his rematch opposite Justin Gaethje at UFC 291 last month. Over five years after Dustin Poirier scored a knockout win, ‘The Highlight’ returned the favor. In the pay-per-view main event, the former interim lightweight champion suffered a second-round knockout loss.
Days following the defeat, Dustin Poirier teased that he would head to welterweight next. While it’s far from the first time that he’s discussed the weight shift, Michael Chandler believes he should think twice. ‘Iron’ discussed the subject during a recent edition of the DC and RC podcast.
There, Michael Chandler warned Dustin Poirier away from a potential move to 170 pounds. The former Bellator champion noted that ‘The Diamond’ is far from a large lightweight, and would be massively undersized. It’s worth noting that these two have a lengthy history, as Poirier won their UFC 281 clash last Fall.
“I say tap out” Michael Chandler responded when asked about the idea of Dustin Poirier moving to welterweight. “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.”
He continued, “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.”
What do you make of these comments from Michael Chandler? Do you think Dustin Poirier should go to welterweight?
