Dustin Poirier emerged victorious in a battle of top lightweights Saturday at UFC 281, submitting Michael Chandler via rear-naked choke in the third round of their highly anticipated bout at Madison Square Garden.
Chandler picked up Poirier and attempted to slam him, but Poirier was able to reverse position after Chandler lost control, eventually taking his opponent's back and locking in the winning submission.
It was an impressive comeback for Poirier after he was dominated in the second round by Chandler, who earned an early takedown and controlled Poirier for much of the stanza. The 36-year-old attempted to lock in a rear-naked choke several times before raining down heavy strikes on Poirier to finish the round.
Round 1 was one of the best of the year, with both 155-pounders producing big, almost fight-ending moments.
Chandler unleashed his patented barrage of explosive punches and kicks early to seemingly hurt Poirier. The longtime UFC veteran was able to survive the onslaught before stealing the round late with his own punishing series of attacks that left Chandler bloodied and bruised.
After the fight, Poirier accused Chandler of trying to use a fish hook during the second round to open up his neck for a submission.
Poirier's win will put him right back into title contention. The American fighter lost a title contest to Charles Oliveira in his last fight, but since Islam Makhachev took the Brazilian star down to claim the vacant lightweight belt in October, he now has a clear road back to another championship challenge.
Makhachev's first defense, however, will come against featherweight king Alexander Volkankovski in February.
Meanwhile, Chandler drops to 2-3 in the UFC since moving over from Bellator, where he was a three-time lightweight champion.
