Michael Chandler couldn't resist taking a little jab at his old rival Dustin Poirier on Saturday night as he congratulated his teammate.
The two former lightweight title contenders had the fight of the year in 2022, but the feud between them lives on despite Poirier picking up a submission victory. And Chandler had a very subtle dig when he sent a message of support to Michael Johnson after his knockout win over Ottman Azaitar.
Johnson landed a stunning second-round stoppage of Azaitar at UFC Tampa to earn his first finishing victory in more than two years. And he joked that he might have called Chandler afterward.
Michael Johnson scores KO win over Ottman Azaitar at UFC Tampa
Despite his years of service to the promotion and some impressive wins, Michael Johnson found himself in the prelims of UFC Tampa. But that didn't seem to matter as he scored a huge knockout that could very well land him on the bonus list for tonight.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
The action started with a relatively close scoop as Johnson began working his way into the proceedings against the dangerous Azaitar. Until losing to Matt Frevola in 2022, the Moroccan was a fearsome undefeated force, but he has since suffered a number of knockout losses.
And when Johnson landed a huge counter with a right hand, he became the third man in a row to stop Azaitar. Referee Jason Herzog couldn't intervene quickly enough and the American was sure to end the fight with a few huge blows to the already ice-cold 34-year-old Moroccan.
Michael Chandler trolls Dustin Poirier as he congratulates Michael Johnson
Social media was buzzing after Johnson's big win, but no one seemed more pleased than his Kill Cliff MMA teammate Michael Chandler. The former Bellator champion went to X to praise his friend, especially regarding his right hand.
“My man @Menace155 has the best bet in the world,” Chandler wrote in the first of a series of tweets. “All over MMA. Dude still has it!” He followed it up with a video of the finish, captioned: “Best right hook in UFC history. #changemymind”
However, it was his third tweet that showed he's still willing to take a jab at his old rival Dustin Poirier. He shared, seemingly out of nowhere, a video of Johnson knocking out Poirier during their 2016 match, captioning it, “Best right hook in UFC HISTORY. Never forget this.”
Fans were quick to defend Poirier in the comments, reminding Chandler that he was stopped when the pair actually fought. Many shared photos and videos of the rear-naked choke finish his rival landed, mocking him for what they thought was a small tweet.
Michael Johnson considered inviting Michael Chandler after the UFC Tampa win
Interestingly enough, during his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping, Johnson joked that he was considering inviting Chandler, despite the fact that they are teammates. By the time they discussed, however, he seemed to have turned his back on the idea.
“This is my promotion. I don't care where I am on the card. I've been in this business for 15 years. I've seen it all. I'm the UFC when it comes to actually fighting here.” he said in his octagonal interview.
I'm 38 and I'm not stopping anytime soon. I'm going right back to the top, honey. I always have to grab the microphone and shout out to people. I have a teammate I wanted to call, Bobby Green, Drew Dober.
“I wanted to call Michael Chandler because he always yells with his mouth, but he's my husband so I'm not going to mess with him.”
Related posts
Comments