Daniel Cormier reveals most "surprising" aspect of recently concluded barnburner between Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler at UFC 281

Daniel Cormier revealed what surprised him the most during the Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Chandler bout.

Poirier and Chandler delivered on expectations after the pair of lightweight stars put on a 'Match of the Year' candidate at UFC 281. Although many expected the bout to be a barnburner, Cormier revealed that the finish caught him by surprise.

During an episode of DC & RC, the former two-weight UFC champion said:

"Dustin Poirier by submission was a bit surprising because Michael Chandler was able to survive on the back with Charles Oliveira on his back when nobody does that."

Catch Daniel Cormier's comments below:

Back at UFC 262, Chandler was able to survive submission threats from Charles Oliveira – the most prolific submission artist in UFC history. With that in mind, Cormier claimed that he wasn't expecting Chandler to defend Poirier's submission offense from the back.

But, of course, that wasn't how the UFC 281 lightweight bout played out. In round three, Poirier found an opening when Chandler took him down. Exhausted from the previous two hard-fought rounds, the former Bellator lightweight champ got caught in a rear-naked choke and was forced to tap out.

---

Dustin Poirier open to fighting Beneil Dariush after beating Michael Chandler

Since beating Michael Chandler at UFC 281, Dustin Poirier has opened the door to a potential matchup with top-five lightweight Beneil Dariush.

'The Diamond' thinks the matchup "makes a lot of sense" and that Dariush deserves the fight after winning his last eight in a row. During the UFC 281 post-fight press conference, Poirier said:

"That’s one that makes a lot of sense. Beneil’s earned his stripes and put away some tough guys, and been looking great doing it. We’ll see, I’m not against it. It’s ultimately up to the UFC and my time frame – when I want to return. That’s what it comes down to."

Check out Dustin Poirier's comments below:

Dariush previously claimed that he had asked for a matchup against either Poirier or Chandler, but was shunned by the UFC. With his options limited, the Assyrian-American fought Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 280 in October and scored a dominant decision win.

With Poirier seemingly on board, it could only be a matter of time before the two lightweight contenders get paired up.