UFC President Dana White announced that they have officially signed Michael Chandler and also stated that he will serve as the back-up of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. However, in a interesting revelation from ESP journalist Ariel Helwani, reports suggests that Dustin Poirier was offered to fight Michael Chandler in his UFC debut. The report further stated that Poirier declined to fight Chandler after once again failing to come to terms with the UFC. Dustin Poirier has been quite vocal about his previous decision to not take the fight against Tony Ferguson at UFC 254. Poirier stated that he “is a prizefighter and the prize needs to be right.”
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However, sources also indicated that Poirier’s decision to back out of the fight against Michael Chandler had a lot to do with the former interim Champion showing his loyalty towards Tony Ferguson. “According to sources, UFC offered Dustin Poirier the Michael Chandler fight yesterday but they couldn’t come to terms. One issue was the same as before – pay – but also sources say DP wanted to show the same loyalty to Tony Ferguson, who advocated for him both publicly/privately.” Ariel Helwani tweeted.
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According to sources, UFC offered Dustin Poirier the Michael Chandler fight yesterday but they couldn't come to terms. One issue was the same as before – pay – but also sources say DP wanted to show the same loyalty to Tony Ferguson, who advocated for him both publicly/privately.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 17, 2020
Tony Ferguson and Dustin Poirier teams up against UFC President Dana White
After Dustin Poirier announced his reason to withdraw from potential Tony Ferguson fight at UFC 254, the former Interim Champion was met with huge support on social media. Fight fans came out in support of the Champion with #PayPoirier doing the round on social media network – Twitter. However, what was interesting to note was Tony Ferguson’s support towards Poirier. Ferguson put out a tweet urging UFC President Dana White “to pay the Man” so that “both hardcore and casual fans can enjoy a good fight.”
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After White claimed that Poirier is trying to dodge Tony Ferguson fight, Poirier responded by saying that “I want to fight Tony.” El Cucuy was quick to respond with a gif, “This guy’s got the right idea.” Ferguson stated.
Both the fighters have backed each other on social media, and if reports are to be believed, Ferguson has also backed Poirier privately ahead of their potential bout. It’s not surprising to see Dustin Poirier show his loyalty towards Ferguson by declining the Michael Chandler fight. Dustin Poirier vs Tony Ferguson is an exciting match-up and could well be a potential #1 contender’s match for the UFC Lightweight Championship.