Michael Chandler plans on going at a slower pace vs. Dustin Poirier at UFC 281

“I love what I do and I do think the way that I fight works out better more often than not,” Chandler said during a interview.

“There’s times that I want to take my foot off the gas, be a little bit more of a veteran, and I think you might see that in this fight. Don’t hold me to it, but we’ll see what happens.

“I do like to start fast, and then maybe we’ll settle in a little bit. But we’ll definitely start fast as always.”

The fighter intends to make an immediate impact versus Poirier (28-7 MMA, 20-6 UFC), since his penchant for a quick start has led in 13 first-round finishes.

“Dustin Poirier is not a crazy hard puzzle to solve. I don’t say that it’s not a hard fight, but he’s very brilliant with the basics,” Chandler said.

“He’s very good at striking. He’s very good in the grappling and grappling defense department.

“There’s not a lot of places where you can exploit Dustin Poirier because he’s got a wealth of knowledge and a wealth of experience, but I’m going to go out there, start fast, get in his face fast, hopefully make him second guess himself pretty fast, mix it up – do exactly what I need to do in all areas of mixed martial arts, and go out there and get my hand raised. But I do think I get the finish.”

This Saturday, at New York’s Madison Square Garden, is where UFC 281 will take place.