Dustin Poirier Shuts Down Lightweight Rival for Post-UFC 311 Jab at Arman Tsarukyan

"The Diamond" had a simple response to his former foe's callout of Tsarukyan.
Jessica Alcheh-Imagn Images

Even though he may only be one UFC fight away from retirement, Dustin Poirier isn't here to play games.

Michael Chandler Calls Out Tsarukyan After UFC 311 Withdrawal

The first UFC Pay-Per-View of the year went down last weekend at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA, and provided an action-packed night of fights for fans, but the card did feature an unexpected main event after Arman Tsarukyan was forced out of his lightweight title fight with Islam Makhachev on weigh-in day.

Ex-Lightweight Champ Sends Blunt Message on Next Islam Makhachev Fight After UFC 311

Renato Moicano was moved from his main card bout with Beneil Dariush to face Moicano, and after Makhachev submitted the Brazilian in the opening round UFC CEO Dana White indicated that Tsarukyan would need to work his way back towards a lightweight title shot.

Dustin Poirier Shuts Down Lightweight Rival for Post-UFC 311 Jab at Arman Tsarukyan
Apr 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Arman Tsarukyan during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

White did acknowledge that he had no desire to see Tsarukyan or any other fighter compete while injured, but former title challenger Michael Chandler was quick to criticize the #1-ranked lightweight contender and call him out for a future matchup.

“You don’t show up, you don’t get a shot. Beat me, if you can, @ArmanUfc"

Poirier Jumps In To Shut Down Chandler

Chandler is currently outside of the UFC lightweight title picture after suffering back-to-back losses, and the 38-year-old’s callout of Tsarukyan didn’t go unnoticed by the man that kicked off that two-fight skid in 2022.

"Shut up"

Poirier defeated Chandler via rear naked choke in their meeting at UFC 281 before being knocked out in a rematch with Justin Gaethje the following year, but “The Diamond” rebounded by stopping surging contender Benoit Saint-Denis to earn his third crack at undisputed UFC gold.

Dustin Poirier Shuts Down Lightweight Rival for Post-UFC 311 Jab at Arman Tsarukyan
Nov 12, 2022; New York, NY, USA; Dustin Poirier (red gloves) and Michael Chandler (blue gloves) during UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden. / Jessica Alcheh-Imagn Images

Merab Dvalishvili Sets UFC History in Title Defense Against Umar Nurmagomedov

A meeting with lightweight king Makhachev at UFC 302 unfortunately didn't go Poirier's way, and after briefly considering retirement in the immediate aftermath of that fight the 36-year-old indicated that he'd like to make one more appearance in the Octagon.

Dustin Poirier Shuts Down Lightweight Rival for Post-UFC 311 Jab at Arman Tsarukyan
Jun 1, 2024; Newark, New Jersey, USA; Islam Makhachev (red gloves) fights Dustin Poirier (blue gloves) during UFC 302 at Prudential Center. / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

A meeting with Tsarukyan seems unlikely unless Poirier has decided he wants to make one more title run, but perhaps the bad blood between him and Chandler could encourage the UFC to book a rematch between the two all-action lightweights later this year.

More UFC & MMA News

• Islam Makhachev Needs One More Victory To Reach UFC History

• Islam Makhachev's Six-Figure UFC 311 Payout Dwarfed by Opponent & Unranked Fighter

• Paddy Pimblett Rips Renato Moicano for Islam Makhachev Tap at UFC 311: ‘Go to Sleep'

• Ilia Topuria Sends Heartfelt Message to Merab Dvalishvili Post-UFC 311 Title Defense

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.