MMA Preview – Dustin Poirier vs Michael Chandler at UFC 281
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DUSTIN POIRIER VS MICHAEL CHANDLER FACTS
When is UFC 281? Sunday 13th November, 2022 - 01:00 start (UK)
Where is UFC 281? Madison Square Garden, New York, (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC 281? Click here to buy tickets for UFC 281
What channel is UFC 281 on? BT Sport 2
Where can I stream UFC 281? BT Sport subscribers can stream the fight online via the BT Sport website
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
DUSTIN POIRIER VS MICHAEL CHANDLER LOWDOWN
With 27 UFC fights under the belt fighting the cream of the crop, Dustin Poirier (28-7(1)) deserves the best fights available. His best run included wins over Jim Miller (2017), Anthony Pettis (2017), Justin Gaethje (2018), Eddie Alvarez (2018) and Max Holloway (2019) which earnt him an interim title. He inevitably got submitted by Khabib Nurmagomedov (2019) failing to unify the lightweight strap. However, he bounced back with those TKO’s over Conor McGregor last year to earn another shot at gold. Unfortunately, it was déjà vu as he got submitted by Charles Oliveira in the third round again.
Michael Chandler (23-7) is only four-fights deep into his UFC career but also only deals in mouth-watering matchups. The Bellator legend’s debut was against Dan Hooker (2021) and it could not have gone better cleaning his clock in the first round. That earnt him a title shot against Oliveira (2021) and looked great until the Brazilian connected with beautifully clean strikes to put him away. Chandler then went to war with Gaethje (2021) losing a unanimous decision but did earn the accolade of ‘Fight of the Year’. He responded in the only way he knows how by front kicking Tony Ferguson’s head off back in May to go 2-2 in the UFC.
DUSTIN POIRIER VS MICHAEL CHANDLER PREDICTION
All Chandler’s UFC fights have been unforgettable performances. He is an elite wrestler, but he comes to take a head or go out on his shield. Poirier is cut from the same cloth and is battle-tested so we are in for a treat.
This will be a stand-up war with a bit of wrestling thrown in and we may even see the odd submission attempt. The majority of this battle will be a kickboxing one however.
Poirier will stand in front of Chandler bringing a relentless volume of powerful hooks, straights down the pipe and chopping calf kicks whereas Chandler will try and remain illusive while corked and ready to explode with a bomb.
Expect level-changes from Chandler. When he shoots in, that is when we may see a guillotine or D’arce attempt from Poirier. Whoever enforces their style will come out on top. If Poirier ends up trading Hollywood one-shots, Chandler will be the favourite. If Chandler tries to out volume and out brawl Poirier, he will eventually wilt.
Chandler is a goober and there is more chance of him throwing the game plan out the window for the Madison Square Garden fans. We can see him landing something clean and if it is not enough to put Poirier away, it could be enough to convince the judges if the fight is close. He could also steal a couple rounds with his wrestling which makes him the value pick as the underdog.
That said, we are backing Poirier who over three rounds will bring a ferocious pace and break Chandler down with his leg kicks and combinations.
Prediction: Poirier via Decision - CLICK HERE FOR PARIMATCH'S WELCOME OFFER (BET £5, GET £30 IN BONUSES!)
Value Bet: Chandler via Decision
