One of the most exciting potential bouts in the UFC is finally set as former lightweight champion Dustin Poirier will clash with former title challenger Michael Chandler at UFC 281. The event takes place Nov. 12 from Madison Square Garden in New York City. The news was first reported by ESPN.
The bout will be Poirier's first since losing a bid for the lightweight title to Charles Oliveira this past December. The loss came after an 8-1 run for Poirier, who had captured the interim title in 2019 with a decision win over Max Holloway. He failed to unify the title when the native of Louisiana lost to then-champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Poirier, long a fan-favorite for his aggressive style and attitude, continued to grow as a star with three wins after the Nurmagomedov loss, including two TKO victories over former featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor.
Chandler is a three-time former Bellator lightweight champion who made his UFC debut in January 2021. He made an immediate impact with a knockout win over Dan Hooker. Chandler followed that up with a knockout loss to Oliveira in a bout for the then-vacant lightweight title in a fight that Chandler was inches away from winning after rocking Oliveira badly in the first round.
Another loss followed for Chandler, but it was one that did nothing to diminish his place as one of the sport's best action fighters as he came up short against Justin Gaethje in the 2021 Fight of the Year. In his most recent fight, Chandler bounced back with a brutal knockout of Tony Ferguson with a front kick to the face at UFC 274 in May.
UFC 281 is already a loaded card with Israel Adesanya defending the middleweight title against former kickboxing rival Alex Pereira and Zhang Weili challenging Carla Esparza for the women's strawweight championship.
