As entertaining as Michael Chandler might be with his fighting style, it looks like he has a history of cheating inside the Octagon. Well, this is what Dustin Poirier thinks. Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler shared the Octagon at UFC 281. The fight wasn’t just an explosive battle inside the Octagon but was a fight filled with controversy. While Poirier ultimately secured the submission victory in the third round, he didn’t hold back when discussing Chandler’s tactics, accusing him of bending the rules to gain an edge.

The tension between the two had been brewing long before fight night, but things escalated in the second round when Chandler appeared to fishhook Poirier while attempting a rear-naked choke. The Louisiana native was quick to call it out, claiming Chandler intentionally stuck his fingers inside his mouth to manipulate his position. Adding to the controversy, Poirier also accused Chandler of illegally striking him in the back of the head during a ground exchange. “Bro, that guy’s a dirty fighter,” Poirier said in his post-fight interview. “He was fish-hooking me, putting his fingers in my mouth. That’s not fighting clean.” 

Chandler’s next opponent for UFC 314, Paddy Pimblett is also aware of the fact. However, he made it clear that he wouldn’t be shy of taking extreme measures if something like this happened in his fight. UFC Europe’s Instagram account shared a clip of ‘The Baddy’ having a conversation with Jon Anik, calling out the referee for allowing Chandler’s shady tactics inside the Octagon.

While speaking to the UFC commentator, the 30-year-old pointed out how Chandler hammer-fisted Charles Oliveira on the head in his last fight, and felt it was more of the referee’s fault who should have intervened. However, for Poirier’s case, Pimblett has a solution. The 30-year-old said, “If I was in that position if I am Charles I’m saying ref? What are you doing here? Like that was some bad referring right there.” 

He further added, “Obviously, I have seen the Poirier one as well. He’s saying he tried to fishhook him to get the choke and stuff like that. I’ll do the same thing as Poirier if that happens, I’ll bite his finger and try it off with me teeth. It’s one of them. But I always say if you are not cheating, you’re not trying.” 

Despite ‘The Diamond’ not liking Chandler, the former interim champion has picked ‘Iron’ as the favorite for the clash and said, “Even though he’s a b—-, Chandler all day go heavy on the money.” But it seems interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall doesn’t quite think the same.

Tom Aspinall feels Paddy Pimblett will knock out ‘Iron’ at UFC 314

From Tom Aspinall’s perspective, Paddy Pimblett is, without a doubt, one of the biggest things in the UFC at the moment. But while the future may seem promising, ‘The Baddy’ is about to face the biggest test of his career—none other than ‘Iron’ Michael Chandler. A relentless force inside the Octagon, Chandler’s high-pressure style, and raw aggression make him a nightmare matchup for anyone.

The interim heavyweight champion feels Pimblett will need to bring nothing short of his A-game to pull off the biggest win of his career. Despite the daunting challenge ahead, ‘Honey Badger’ has no doubts, and believes the Scouser is more than ready to rise to the occasion. 

During a conversation on the TNT and UFC Eurosport, Aspinall made a bold prediction for the upcoming fight at UFC 314. He said, “I think he’s gonna surprise a lot of people. And I watched Chandler up close fighting Charles Oliveira. I was in New York. I watched it cage side. And I think when you watch a white cage side and watch it on TV, it’s completely different. I watched it cage side and I think Paddy is going to knock him out. Honestly, I do. I think most people would look at it and think that Paddy is going to get the submission if he wins, but I honestly think Paddy is going to knock him out.” 

Will Paddy Pimblett be able to live up to the expectations of his fellow countrymen? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.