EXCLUSIVE
I’ve fought Tony Ferguson, Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje – but no UFC fighter hit me harder than ‘The Diamond’
UFC star Michael Chandler claims Dustin Poirier hits harder than any other man he has fought in MMA.
Conor McGregor’s next opponent was a three-time lightweight champion with Bellator before joining Dana White’s promotion in 2021.
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During his 11-year run with MMA’s second-best league, Chandler suffered knockout defeats to Will Brooks, Brent Primus, and Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire – he also fought former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez twice.
In the past two years, he’s been knocked out in a vacant UFC title fight by Charles Oliveira, shared the cage with MMA legend Tony Ferguson and duked it out with Justin Gaethje.
However, no one cracked him harder than Poirier did before picking up a third-round submission when they fought at UFC 281 in November 2022.
“Dustin Poirier hits fricking hard, man,” Chandler said without hesitation when marvelbet369.com asked him to reveal the biggest puncher he’s ever faced.
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“It’s widely documented, me and Dustin need to squash our beef eventually, but we haven’t quite yet.
“Dustin hits hard.”
Chandler gave a special mention to Gaethje, who knocked out Poirier earlier this year, and two of his high-profile sparring partners at Kill Cliff MMA.
He added: “Gaethje is more just frenetic in there, but he does hit hard as well.
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"I train with Kamaru Usman. I train with Gilbert Burns. Obviously, those guys are welterweights, but those are two of my favourite fighters and friends of mine.
“So, those are the four fighters I probably say [hit hardest].
UFC president Dana White reacts to Conor McGregor's comments that he's set to return to action against Michael Chandler in December
"Gilbert Burns is probably my favourite fighter ever, just because of the man he is and the guy he is inside and outside of the Octagon."
McGregor has scored 19 KO's in 22 professional MMA wins and is regarded by a section of fans as the best boxer to ever grace the UFC Octagon.
Perhaps, Chandler will name a new hardest-hitting opponent this time next year, or maybe he will have picked the biggest win of his career.
The 37-year-old thinks he will KO McGregor inside two rounds.
“I come out hard in the first round, like I always do, I make him second guess himself, put himself on his backfoot,” Chandler said.
“I make him second guess himself in the first, break him by the end of the first, finish in the second with some type of hard punch.
“I don’t know if it’s going to be a right hand, a left hook or a body shot. I do need a body shot knockout and I would like it to be Conor McGregor, so we’ll see.”
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