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Dustin Poirier baffled by Michael Chandler's welterweight tease: "I want to know what he's fighting for"

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2 months ago

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Dustin Poirier baffled by Michael Chandler's welterweight tease: "I want to know what he's fighting for"

Dustin Poirier is puzzled by Michael Chandler hinting at a possible move to 170 pounds, and would prefer seeing “Iron†hang up his gloves.

Chandler has long been know for his exciting fighting style, but many believe Father Time has caught up. Chandler has lost four straight bouts and he's gone 1-6 in his last seven fights. In that stretch, the former three-time Bellator champion has been stopped four times.

In his latest effort on the UFC Freedom 250 card, Chandler was finished by Mauricio Ruffy in the opening frame. “Iron†hasn't scored a victory since May 2022 when he knocked out Tony Ferguson with a front kick.

Recently, Chandler took to social media to say he was done “starving†himself, and he has begun to bulk up. Many took this as a welterweight tease, but Poirier hopped on the “Deep Waters†podcast and admitted he doesn't feel it makes sense for Chandler to continue his prizefighting career (via MMAJunkie).

“With all due respect, we buried the hatchet and shook hands,†Poirier said. “But Michael Chandler, what are we doing?â€

“The Diamond†then weighed in on the thought of Chandler possibly moving up to welterweight, and he thinks such a decision would make things worse for his former foe.

“I saw a thing, I don't know if this is official news, but he said he might move up to welterweight,†Poirier said. “If 155ers are stopping you and you're taking all this damage, what are 170ers going to do? He's too short. He's not long enough. I want to know what he's fighting for.â€

Poirier actually started Chandler's rough skid when the two went to war on the UFC 281 card back in Nov. 2022. Poirier submitted Chandler in the third round via rear-naked choke inside Madison Square Garden in New York City. Both men earned “Fight of the Night†bonuses.

Do you think Michael Chandler would be best served retiring from pro MMA competition at this stage, or can he still be competitive to some degree? Drop your opinion in the comments below.

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UFC 331: 'Van vs. Pantoja 2' Live Results and Highlights

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4 hours ago

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September 20, 2026

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UFC 331: 'Van vs. Pantoja 2' Live Results and Highlights
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The Octagon returns to Los Angeles for tonight's UFC 331 event, a 12-bout fight card headlined by Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja 2.

Van and Pantoja originally collided at UFC 323 in December of last year, where ‘The Fearless' walked away with the promotion's coveted men's flyweight title after ‘The Cannibal' suffered a nasty arm injury the rendered him unable to continue (see that here).

Joshua Van (17-2 MMA) has since successfully defended the 125lbs strap, this after earning a fifth-round TKO victory over Japanese standout Tatsuro Taira. The 24-year-old will enter tonight's rematch sporting a seven-fight winning streak.

Meanwhile, Alexandre Pantoja (30-6 MMA) will be returning to the Octagon for the first time since suffering the aforementioned arm injury against Van at UFC 323. Prior to that setback, ‘The Cannibal' was riding a seven-fight winning streak, a stretch which included four successful title defenses over the likes of Brandon Royval, Steve Erceg, Kai Asakura and Kai Kara-France.

UFC 331 is co-headlined by a highly anticipated lightweight bout featuring Arman Tsarukyan taking on Maurício Ruffy.

(via Zuffa LLC)

Tsarukyan (23-3 MMA) will enter the contest on a five-fight winning streak, with his most recent Octagon victory coming against Dan Hooker via second-round submission in November of 2025. Prior to that triumph, ‘Batman' had earned a split decision win over current BMF title holder Charles Oliveira at UFC 300.

Meanwhile, Maurício Ruffy (14-2 MMA) was most previously seen in action at June's UFC Freedom 250 event, where he scored an impressive first-round TKO win over former lightweight title challenger Michael Chandler. The hard-hitting Brazilian has gone 4-1 over his past five fights, with his lone setback in that time coming against Benoit Saint Denis by way of submission.

If that wasn't enough to get you interested, tonight's UFC 331 main card lineup also features a featherweight matchup between Patrício Pitbull and Doo Ho Choi.

Pitbull (37-9 MMA) will enter the bout looking to rebound, this after suffering a unanimous decision loss to Aaron Pico at April's UFC 327 event. Prior to that setback, the former Bellator champion was coming off a unanimous decision victory over Dan Ige.

Meanwhile, Doo Ho Choi (17-4-1 MMA) currently boasts a three-fight winning streak, this after scoring TKO victories over Bill Algeo, Nate Landwehr and Daniel Santos. Prior to those impressive finishes, the Korean standout had fought Kyle Nelson to a majority draw.

Get all of tonight's live results and highlights below (refresh for updates):

UFC 331 Main Card (Paramount+, 9 p.m. ET)

Joshua Van (125) vs. Alexandre Pantoja (125) – Van def. Pantoja by unanimous decision (49–46, 49–47, 50–45)

Arman Tsarukyan (156) vs. Mauricio Ruffy (155) – Tsarukyan def. Ruffy via KO (elbow) at 4:57 of Round 1

Patricio Pitbull (145.5) vs. Doo Ho Choi (146) – Pitbull def. Choi via KO (punches) at 3:28 of Round 1

Gable Steveson (240) vs. Sean Sharaf (241) – Sharaf def. Steveson via KO (punch) at 0:12 of Round 1

Alonzo Menifield (205.5) vs. Iwo Baraniewski (206) – Menifield def. Baraniewski by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

UFC 331 Prelims (Paramount+, 7 p.m. ET)

Marlon Vera (136) vs. Charles Jourdain (135) – Vera def. Jourdain via TKO at 2:02 of Round 3

Tai Tuivasa (264.5) vs. Robelis Despaigne (263) – Despaigne def. Tuivasa by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Michael Aswell (146) vs. Joo Sang Yoo (145.5) – Aswell def. Yoo by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Ryan Gandra (186) vs. Ozzy Diaz (186) – Gandra def. Diaz via TKO (punches) at 2:04 of Round 1

UFC 331 Early Prelims (Paramount+, 5:30 p.m. ET)

Edmen Shahbazyan (185) vs. Brunno Ferreira (184.5) – Shahbazyan def. Ferreira by unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)

Casey O'Neill (125) vs. Eduarda Moura (125.5) – O'Neil def. Moura via submission (armbar) at 3:22 of Round 1

Giga Chikadze (146) vs. Joanderson Brito (145.5) – Brito def. Chikadze via KO (punches) at 1:57 of Round 1

Who are you picking to win tonight's flyweight title fight rematch between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja? Share your predictions in the comment section Penn Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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UFC 331: Live updates, highlights for Van vs. Pantoja

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5 hours ago

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September 19, 2026

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UFC 331: Live updates, highlights for Van vs. Pantoja

This is the UFC 331 live blog for Alonzo Menifield vs. Iwo Baraniewski, the main card light heavyweight bout Saturday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Menifield (18-7-1) heads into Saturday night's event as the underdog, but the 205-pound veteran has a habit of spoiling the plans of the matchmakers. This past May, he headed into enemy territory to win a thrilling striking battle against China's Zhang Mingyang, and was previously the first man to defeat French prospect Oumar Sy. He has won three of his past four fights.

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UFC 331 Results: Sean Sharaf KO's Gable Steveson in 12 seconds (Video)

Published

6 hours ago

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September 19, 2026

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UFC 331 Results: Sean Sharaf KO's Gable Steveson in 12 seconds (Video)
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We have you covered for all of tonight's UFC 331 results, including the heavyweight matchup between Gable Steveson and Sean Sharaf.

Steveson (4-0 MMA) will be making his second UFC appearance this evening in Los Angeles. The former Olympic gold medalist made his Octagon debut this past July at UFC 329, where he scored a first-round knockout victory over Elisha Ellison (see that here). The 26-year-old has scored first round finishes in each of his first four bouts as a professional.

Meanwhile, Sean Sharaf (4-2 MMA) will enter tonight's contest with hopes of snapping a two-fight losing skid. ‘The Smoke' is coming off back-to-back TKO defeats to Junior Tafa and Steven Asplund respectively.

Round one of this UFC 331 main card heavyweight contest begins and Sean Sharag comes forward with a combination. Gable Steveson lands a nice low kick. Sharaf with a right hand. He follows up with a left hook that lands flush. Steveson goes down and is out cold! WOW! What an upset! That was some punch. Congrats to Sharaf!

Official UFC 331 Results: Sean Sharaf def. Gable Steveson via KO (punch) at 0:12 of Round 1

Who would you like to see Sharaf fight next following his KO victory over Steveson this evening in Los Angeles? Share your thoughts in the comment section Penn Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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