“I’d beat both those guys” – Dustin Poirier gives his thoughts on the Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Chandler fight at UFC 268

Dustin Poirier has given his take on the epic three-round war between Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler at UFC 268.

Widely hailed as one of the best MMA fights of 2021, the lightweight matchup witnessed Gaethje defeat Chandler via unanimous decision.

During an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Poirier spoke on multiple topics. ‘The Diamond’ stated:

“Yeah, man, that was fun to watch.” Revealing what he was thinking while watching the fight, Poirier said, “Damn. This is bad for you. That’s what I’m thinking. These guys are crazy, man; taking damage like that, you know. But I think I beat both those guys. If they fight me the way they fought that night, I beat both those guys.”

Ariel Helwani noted the reckless fighting style Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler adopted at UFC 268 was good for a certain level of fight. Helwani added, however, such recklessness may be unsuitable for a title bout.

Dustin Poirier defeated Gaethje in 2018, but hasn’t fought Chandler. Regardless, he noted he’s equally confident about beating both. Poirier also agreed with Helwani’s style assessment and explained:

“Nah, you can’t. You have to tighten it up. You have to be more technical. You have to be a thinking man; not just a brute in there, not just a wrecking ball, you know. Or, you go in there and get matadored. And that’s what I would do to those guys if they fought me that way.”

You can watch Dustin Poirier’s conversation with Ariel Helwani in the video below:

Dustin Poirier is on the cusp of capturing the undisputed UFC lightweight title at UFC 269

The rivalry between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor is far from over, despite ‘El Diamante’ beating McGregor and winning their trilogy 2-1. Both Poirier and ‘The Notorious’ maintain they’re likely to clash in a fourth fight.

Nevertheless, Conor McGregor is recovering from the gruesome leg injury he sustained in his third bout against Dustin Poirier. McGregor is expected to return in 2022. Meanwhile, Poirier is set to compete in another high-stakes fight.

A former interim UFC lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier is scheduled to receive his second shot at the undisputed UFC lightweight title. The Louisiana native will face reigning UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira for the title at UFC 269 on December 11th.

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