Michael Chandler declines to fight Dustin Poirier due to past comments: “He completely disregarded me”

UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler doesn’t have an interest in fighting Dustin Poirier.

The 36-year-old was seen in the Octagon last Saturday against Tony Ferguson. After a tough first round, Chandler brutally knocked out ‘El Cucuy’ in the second frame to claim victory. The win snapped a two-fight losing streak and got him back into the title conversation.

Following the win, Chandler called out many big names. The former Bellator champion called for matchups with Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje, and Conor McGregor. The following day, he also stated he was down for a welterweight showdown with Nate Diaz.

One big name that didn’t receive a callout was Dustin Poirier. ‘The Diamond’ noticed as such and mentioned it on Twitter. However, don’t expect him to fight Chandler anytime soon.

Michael Chandler discussed a possible fight with Dustin Poirier on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani. He noted that he felt disrespected when he came into the UFC, and the former interim champion declined fights with him. It’s because of that disrespect that he doesn’t want to grant him a bout.

(via Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

“It would be Diaz. I have no interest in fighting Dustin, honestly. To be quite honest, I think he’s a great dude. I think I like him for the sport, but I also think I was completely disregarded and pushed aside whenever I came into the organization. He completely disregarded me, he acted as though I didn’t deserve to be where I was.” (h/t MMAFighting)

Michael Chandler continued, “Maybe it’s a bit more of a personal issue, but I also don’t think… is Dustin a draw? I guess he’s the No. 2 guy [in the UFC rankings] now, but he’s just kind of stayed at No. 2 and I don’t know how active he’s going to be. I did see him tweet that I was saying everyone else’s name but his as if I didn’t want to fight him because of technical reasons or what not, but it’s more like I forgot about him.”

What do you think about Michael Chandler’s comments about Dustin Poirier?