Why Dustin Poirier favors Justin Gaethje over Michael Chandler at UFC 268

Dustin Poirier thinks Michael Chandler will have a tough time dealing with Justin Gaethje.

In a high-stakes lightweight matchup, Chandler (22-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC) meets Gaethje (22-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) at UFC 268 on Nov. 6, when the former title challengers will vie for another crack at the title.

Poirier (28-6 MMA, 20-5 UFC), who’s expected to challenge newly crowned champion Charles Oliveira before the end of the year, has already locked horns with Gaethje before in what was a gritty, back-and-forth fight.

So having already been in there with Gaethje, Poirier knows the kind of fight “The Highlight” brings and thinks he’ll be too much for Chandler.

“I kind of favor Gaethje in that matchup,” Poirier said on American Top Team’s “Punchin’ In” podcast. “Chandler is going to have trouble getting him down, holding him down and to avoid those big shots.”

Although he was able to eventually knock out Gaethje in Round 4, Poirier had to battle through some adversity before getting the finish. Gaethje is known for his brutal leg kicks and was able to inflict quite a bit of damage on Poirier.

“Gaethje probably, he partially tore my quad,” Poirier said on the hardest leg kicker he’s faced. “In the fight, him not caring about position and throwing kicks as hard as he can just to land them, not worrying about repercussions – no setups.”