UFC 281 faceoff: Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Chandler and other non-title faceoffs

NEW YORK – The hype for the UFC 281 featured bout between Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler continued to grow with their first faceoff at the pre-fight news conference.

Poirier (28-7 MMA, 20-6 UFC), a former interim UFC lightweight champion, and former Bellator titleholder Chandler (23-7 MMA, 2-2 UFC) are set for a highly anticipated showdown on Saturday’s card, which takes place at Madison Square Garden and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

Both men were spirited as they answered questions from reporters at Thursday’s press conference, and that energy came through as the first official fight week staredown between the pair of fan favorites.

Watch the video above to see Poirier and Chandler square up ahead of UFC 281, as well as the chatter between former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, who will compete in his final MMA bout, and opponent Chris Gutierrez. Lightweights Dan Hooker and Claudio Puelles also faced off.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 281.