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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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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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MMA

Colby Covington drags Daniel Cormier into ugly Jon Jones feud

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Colby Covington drags Daniel Cormier into ugly Jon Jones feud
Colby
Covington has brought Daniel
Cormier into his latest feud with Jon Jones.

Jones' protégé, Gable
Steveson, was knocked out by Sean Sharaf
in a major upset at UFC
331 in September in Los Angeles. Covington subsequently blamed
Jones' “bad energy†for Steveson's loss. Jones responded by saying
that Covington, his former college roommate, hasn't achieved even a
fraction of what he has in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Colby Covington tells Gable Steveson to leave Jon Jones for
Daniel Cormier

Covington responded by citing domestic abuse allegations against
Jones. “Chaos†said Jones' professional achievements don't excuse
his alleged conduct outside the cage. The former interim
welterweight champion then suggested that Steveson train with
Daniel
Cormier, Jones' longtime rival.

“The things I say only bother you because they're true,†Covington
wrote on X. “You're a narcissistic abusive sociopath. Your
achievements inside the Octagon don't make you a better person
outside of it. Those same achievements definitely don’t give you
the right to abuse women either, Jon. At the end of the day, I feel
for Gable being in this situation… It's too bad he can't take
punches from heavyweights as well as your wife does. If Gable
really cares about advancing in his career, he should leave you and
go train with a real man like Daniel Cormier.â€

Jones and Cormier's heated rivalry has continued since their
fighting careers ended. Jones defeated Cormier in their first UFC
bout, but his knockout victory in their rematch was overturned to a
no contest after “Bones†failed a drug test. Years after retiring,
“DC†has said he has no interest in reconciling with Jones.

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Mikey Musumeci vacates UFC BJJ title to ‘prioritize my training for MMA’

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Mikey Musumeci vacates UFC BJJ title to ‘prioritize my training for MMA’

Mikey Musumeci is no longer the UFC BJJ bantamweight champion, and he vacates the belt to focus on a potential transition to mixed martial arts in the future.

A former grappling champion in ONE Championship and four-time IBJJF world champion as a black belt, Musumeci was victorious in four title matches in UFC BJJ — all by submission — before entering the bowl this past September to win a decision over UFC bantamweight Bryce Mitchell.

“I am 30 years old and have been obsessed with training MMA and want to prioritize my training for MMA,†Musumeci wrote on a statement. “I train jiu-jitsu everyday still and can come back anytime.â€

That doesn't mean Musumeci will no longer compete in grappling and in UFC BJJ. He plans on continuing to do so, but without having to defend a title and possibly stalling the weight class as he pursues a new goal in MMA.

“I will continue to do more grappling super fights with UFC BJJ, just a different style of jiu-jitsu more to get people out of our sport to watch,†Musumeci wrote. “That means more to me at the point I am in my career. I want to thank everyone that has supported me and Claudia Gadelha and Hunter for how kind they have been with me and continue to be. Excited about my next chapter. SO MANY CRAZY THINGS AHEAD.â€

The now vacant UFC BJJ bantamweight title will be up for grabs in the main event of UFC BJJ 13 on Oct. 29, when Jalen Fonacier battles Kleber Barboza.

Check Musumeci's full statement below.

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Brendan Allen accuses Dricus du Plessis of taking ‘easier’ Kamaru Usman fight

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Brendan Allen accuses Dricus du Plessis of taking ‘easier’ Kamaru Usman fight
Brendan
Allen has criticized Dricus Du
Plessis for allegedly avoiding a fight with him.

A matchup between Allen and du Plessis was reportedly in the works
in January. According to Allen, the bout fell through after he was
told du Plessis was injured. Du Plessis went on to face former

Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Kamaru
Usman in July, winning by unanimous decision.

Brendan Allen explains why he believes he was a tougher
opponent than Kamaru Usman

Allen has accused du Plessis of avoiding him in favor of an easier
fight against Usman. “All In†acknowledges that the 39-year-old
former welterweight champion remains a bigger draw. However, Allen
believes he presents a tougher matchup, prompting du Plessis to
take the “easier fight.â€

“I know he's had the opportunity to fight me and he took the easier
route,†Allen told UFC on Paramount+. “He can say whatever he
wants; it's a fact. We were supposed to fight. And somehow it got
worked that Kamaru's name got thrown in there. And obviously Kamaru
is a bigger draw even though he's older, up a weight class. He took
the easier fight, plain and simple. Everyone knows it was the
easier fight. I'm bigger, I'm stronger, I'm faster. I think I'm
more talented, but people are gonna play off of Kamaru's resume.
OK, play off his resume, but I don't think that Kamaru can make it
five rounds with me.â€

Allen (27-7) enters his
UFC Vegas 122 main event against Christian
Leroy Duncan (15-2) on Saturday in Las Vegas with three
consecutive victories. Duncan has won five straight fights.

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