Dustin Poirier thinks Michael Chandler must show he’s worthy of a high competition spot at light-weight.
Former Bellator champion Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) meets Paddy Pimblett (22-3 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in Saturday’s five-round UFC 314 co-headliner (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at Kaseya Middle in Miami.
Chandler has fought elite competitors since becoming a member of the UFC roster, however has struggled as of late. A kind of losses got here in a submission to Poirier at UFC 281, and “The Diamond” thinks Chandler must win if he needs to stay within the higher echelon of light-weight.
“To me, as a fighter and a fan, Chandler is at a crossroads right here,” Poirier stated on “Good Man/Dangerous Man.” “He’s taking over a younger man who has loads of hype, however his monitor report has been sort of rocky within the UFC. He came visiting, proper out the gate, massive win, then up and down, up and down. This can be a massive check for Chandler to point out he deserves to be on the high of the division.”
Poirier is aware of what it’s prefer to cease a rising contender in his tracks after knocking out Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299. So, “The Diamond” can relate to Chandler’s must-win state of affairs.
“He’s been on the high of the light-weight dialog since he obtained into the UFC together with his win over Dan Hooker,” Poirier stated. “It’s been downhill since then, however does he need to be within the high 5. He’s been a staple for the final couple of years within the high 5 of the division, he can’t lose this struggle.
“If he goes on the market and wins this struggle, OK, this man possibly deserves to be in there, however he has to do one thing massive after that. And for Paddy, if he beats Michael Chandler, now he’s preventing the highest 5.”
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