Chandler Trolls Poirier; Poirier Fires Back
Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier exchanged posts on December 15, 2024, after Chandler’s teammate Michael Johnson scored a knockout at the Tampa event. Chandler shared footage of Johnson’s 2016 finish of Poirier, bringing their past matchup back into the conversation.
Chandler praised Johnson’s right hand while sharing the old clip. MMA Fighting reported on the exchange.
Poirier answered by recalling their only meeting, in November 2022. He pointed to his third-round rear-naked choke win and Chandler’s 2–4 promotional record as of the December 2024 exchange. The official event results list the submission at 2:00 of Round 3. Poirier’s reply on X is still available.
Johnson had stopped Poirier by first-round TKO in September 2016, at 1:35. The official event results record the finish. The December 2024 exchange followed Johnson’s knockout of Ottman Azaitar in Tampa, as the event recap confirms.
Two different fights behind the exchange
Chandler’s post and Poirier’s response referred to separate pieces of lightweight history. The clip celebrated Johnson’s striking by revisiting his win over Poirier. Poirier answered with the result of his own fight against Chandler, a contest that also earned Fight of the Night honors.
That distinction explains why a Johnson victory in Tampa revived a rivalry between two other fighters. Chandler used an older highlight involving his teammate; Poirier used a more recent head-to-head result to answer him. Neither message changed the official outcome of either bout.
The exchange was social-media commentary following Johnson’s performance, rather than an announcement of a second Chandler–Poirier fight. Its significance was the continuation of their public rivalry, with both men pointing to past results as evidence for their remarks.
Sources
Tags: MMA
