Michael Chandler doesn’t fault Dustin Poirier for chomping down on his finger during their UFC 281 fight. He sees it as part of his game.
“People think that we’re in there making decisions like me making the decision to pick up this pen,” Chandler said Monday on The MMA Hour. “It’s not the same when you’re actually inside the confines of MMA and you’re fighting for your life. It’s all about reaching for the things you want, grasping for them, grappling. It’s muscle memory.”
After submitting Chandler in round three,
Poirier called Chandler “dirty momf *****””. After submitting Chandler in the third round, Poirier doubled down and claimed that Chandler had intentionally attempted to cheat by using a fishhook during fight.
Chandler stated that it was his intent to grab Poirier’s chin when he was in control. It wasn’t to intentionally foul his opponent, but he said that’s part of being a fighter. Sometimes, even with your best efforts you can make mistakes.
“When I take a guy’s back, and I’ve drilled it a million times, I take a guy’s back, reach down, grab the chin, lift the chin, and then go for the choke,” Chandler continued. Do I really need to apologize for this? I don’t think I do. Does it make me think that someone could claim, “Hey, that was dirt” or “that was illegal?” Yes, I can see your point of view. But 31 fights, you know my reputation. This sport has a great reputation. It’s a passion of mine. The sport is not my favorite. To win, I won’t cheat.
” This was just an unfortunate circumstance and a series of events that I wish hadn’t happened, but it did. That’s also why there are referees. That’s why the referee was there with his eyeballs on every single exchange to let you know if you’re doing something consciously or subconsciously, on purpose or not on purpose.
“But it does not feel good [to be called a dirty fighter]. Because, regardless of what you do, people will say and believe things, win or lose, so I’m not happy to hear it. … However, I love the sport and would not cheat. It is what it is and I can’t change it, aside from I’ve been here 31 fights and I love the sport and I would never cheat intentionally.”
Chandler identifies the clear message Poirier sent him during a fight that he was wronged and adds it was an appropriate response to the events.
“He bit my finger which, while not cheating, isn’t because his finger shouldn’t be in my mouth,” Chandler stated. Chandler said, “I believe that was when I realized that it wasn’t the chin. He’s biting on my hand and that’s when he let me go.
“It’s somewhat funny. It’s not funny.
Poirier did not see the humor in this situation. It only contributed to a testy post-fight exchange that left both fighters feeling a little bit unresolved about the result of the fight. Rather than settling things in the cage, there was still some bad blood in the air.
With the help of hindsight, and the time to calm down, Chandler is able to let go of all those emotions. Poirier deserves credit for his win at UFC 281. He has great respect for “The Diamond”, both as a fighter and person. Of course, he’d like the opportunity to beat him in a rematch, and he believes that 10 future fights would have 10 future outcomes. As for Poirier, he hopes there’s no continued rivalry, but he can’t control his one-time opponent.
” I’m not going say that I don’t love it,” Chandler stated. “I have a tremendous respect for every single guy that I’ve ever fought, and I have a tremendous respect for anyone that’s in our line of work. The next time I see him in person, I’ll go up and shake his head and say what’s up. Let’s see what he does. It’s not clear.
” My guess is that we all get a little too high at times. We’re all coming down from these victories or defeats. But I might be mistaken. Either way, I have no ill will toward him. I’m not going to lose any sleep over that, whether our relationship is contentious or not. It’s unfortunate. He has a lot of respect in my heart. I was beaten by him. That night, he was the victor, and it would be a great story .”
if it happens again.
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2022/11/21/23471863/michael-chandler-on-dustin-poiriers-finger-bite-at-ufc-281-i-would-have-done-the-exact-same-thing?rand=96749
