Dustin Poirier advises Michael Chandler to retire from MMA, warns "Iron" about move to UFC welterweight division

Michael Chandler has been given some cautionary advice from his former UFC opponent, ex-interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier. 

"The Diamond" is of the view that Chandler ought to hang up his MMA gloves. Additionally, Poirier warned him against moving from the lightweight (155-pound) to the welterweight (170-pound) division. 

Michael Chandler vs. Dustin Poirier -- an MMA feud that escalated after their UFC fight

The competitive rivalry between Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier culminated in a professional mixed martial arts bout within the confines of the UFC's famed octagon at UFC 281 back in November of 2022. 

The back-and-forth fight ended with Poirier latching on to a rear-naked choke and beating Chandler via submission in their lightweight showdown's third round. Their feud escalated thereafter. 

Poirier later accused Chandler of being a "dirty" fighter. He alleged that "Iron" utilized fish-hooking to control his mouth and thereby his head, intentionally directed blood and mucus at him, and resorted to other underhanded tactics to tilt the fight in his favor. 

The two fighters traded barbs over the years, with Poirier particularly lambasting Chandler on several occasions.

Regardless, Poirier ultimately retired from MMA last year after being outpointed in his trilogy fight against Max Holloway, in what was a lightweight clash for the BMF title. The Poirier-Chandler feud faded away, as the Louisianian made peace with some of his former rivals (including Chandler) after retiring. 

Dustin Poirier asks Michael Chandler to retire from MMA, views potential welterweight division venture as a mistake for "Iron"

Michael Chandler's loss against Dustin Poirier back in 2022 marked the beginning of his four-fight losing streak, something he hasn't been able to break to this day. 

That defeat was followed by Chandler losing in a rematch against Charles Oliveira by unanimous decision in 2024. The former three-time Bellator lightweight champion then fell to Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett via third-round TKO last year. 

Chandler's most recent octagon outing saw him drop his fourth consecutive fight, as he suffered a first-round TKO loss against Mauricio Ruffy at UFC Freedom 250 last month.

The 40-year-old subsequently teased that he could move up to welterweight next, with many fans noting that it could be his attempt to get his career back on track with a fresh start. The Missouri-born athlete has previously fought at welterweight, but he's primarily known for having achieved success at lightweight. 

Well, some even speculated that it could set up his long-awaited fight against UFC icon Conor McGregor, but the Irishman's UFC 329 injury poured cold water on that hypothesis for the time being. 

During a recent edition of the Deep Waters podcast on UFC on Paramount, Dustin Poirier was accompanied by former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, the inaugural UFC BMF champion Jorge Masvidal, and UFC fighter-turned-coach Din Thomas. 

Poirier -- who's had his own struggles outside the octagon -- alluded to Chandler's recent struggles inside the octagon. He affirmed that he'd like to see his former foe close the chapter on his MMA career.

"The Diamond" said, "With all due respect, we've buried the hatchet and shook hands. But, Michael Chandler, what are you doing?" 

Din Thomas appeared to concur, and Poirier continued, "No. I'm just jumping back in about retirement. That just came to my mind because I saw things -- I don't know if this is official news. But he said he might move up to welterweight." 

Warning Chandler against his expected welterweight move, Poirier said, "If 155'ers are stopping you, you're taking all this damage, what are 170s gonna do?" 

Watch Dustin Poirier's advice to Michael Chandler on his MMA career and the podcast episode below: