• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar

FIGHT BANANAS

Crazy about fights.

  • Home
  • MMA News
  • Boxing News
  • Shop
    • Jonny Bones Jones
    • My Fight Shirt
    • Roy Jones Jr
  • Advertise on Fight Bananas

Michael Chandler believes Dan Hooker is his toughest challenge at lightweight

January 5, 2021 by Ross Markey

Chandler
Mandatory Credit: Josh Hedges – Zuffa LLC

Finally slated for his promotional debut, former three-time Bellator lightweight champion, Michael Chandler makes his Octagon bow on January 23rd. at UFC 257 — tasked with knocking back stern contender, Dan ‘The Hangman’ Hooker in his first UFC walk.

Briefly floated as a potential opponent for former interim champions, Tony ‘E Cucuy’ Ferguson and Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier, both pairings failed to materialise for the Sanford MMA mainstay who put pen to paper on a multi-fight deal with the UFC following a gold-filled, ten-year stay with Scott Coker’s Bellator MMA last year.

Riding a two-fight winning run into the promotion, Chandler travelled to ‘Fight Island’ in October for UFC 254, successfully making lightweight championship weight as a potential backup to the unification clash of Khabib ‘The Eagle’ Nurmagomedov, and then-interim champion, Justin ‘The Highlight’ Gaethje.

With his services as a backup ultimately not required as Khabib subsequently submitted Gaethje via a second-round triangle, Chandler was then linked with a December matchup against the above mentioned, Ferguson, who himself eventually met with the surging Charles ‘Do Bronx’ Oliveira at UFC 256 in a one-sided unanimous decision loss.

Matching with the #6 ranked, Hooker – the City Kickboxing ace featured twice in the Octagon last year, scoring two main event slots and a 1-1 record. Headlining a UFC Fight Night Auckland event in February, Hooker took home a close decision win over Paul ‘The Irish Dragon’ Felder before a barnburner UFC Vegas 5 defeat to the above mentioned, Poirier in June.

Speaking with ESPN MMA recently, Chandler detailed how the promotion had initially planned to pair him with Ferguson, Poirier, or Oliveira before they finally landed on a deal with Hooker.

“Obviously, when I came in, the UFC wanted to give me a test right away — throwing around names like (Tony) Ferguson, like (Dustin) Poirier, and (Charles) Oliveira, who are number one, two, three, and four in the division, “Chandler said. “Obviously, aside from Khabib (Nurmagomedov) because he’s semi-retired right now, we’re not sure what he’s doing yet. But these were the names that they were trying to get me booked against, so it wasn’t that Dan Hooker wasn’t a formidable opponent.”

Slated to match with the Kiwi in the co-main event of UFC 257 beneath a lightweight rematch of Poirier and former two-weight world champion, ‘The Notorious’ Conor McGregor, Chandler has claimed Hooker is his sternest challenge at 155-pounds.

“Truthfully, he (Dan Hooker) may be one of the saltiest, nastiest, toughest challenges both physically and with his attributes inside of the Octagon than any of (the top-ranked fighters), “Chandler said. “I think that I matchup better with Poirier than I do Hooker. I think I matchup better with Gaethje than Hooker. I think I matchup better with Ferguson than Hooker. So at the end of it all, I signed with the UFC to get to the top. In order to get to the top, I have to have a fight, I have to get inside the UFC Octagon.“

Ross Markey

Related

Filed Under: MMA, News Tagged With: Dan Hooker, Michael Chandler, ufc, UFC 257

Primary Sidebar

Find It Here

Podcast

David Feldman, President of Bare Knuckle FC talks all things KnuckleMania

Fight Island Preview

Top 4 MMA Prospects to Watch in 2021

Island Fights 65 Recap Podcast

Follow Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Email

Highlights

McGregor

Conor McGregor: I think Khabib Nurmagomedov is afraid to fight me again

January 15, 2021 By Ross Markey

Entangled in one of the most infamous rivalries in the history of mixed martial arts, former two-weight world champion, 'The Notorious' Conor McGregor has claimed that the recently retired lightweight champion, … Continue Reading about Conor McGregor: I think Khabib Nurmagomedov is afraid to fight me again

Grundy

Mike Grundy makes weight despite UFC Fight Island 7 fight cancellation

January 15, 2021 By Ross Markey

Team Kaobon Wigan mainstay, Mike Grundy may have been forced from his UFC Fight Island 7 clash with veteran contender, Nik Lentz due to a positive COVID-19 test result from his one of his team members, however, that … Continue Reading about Mike Grundy makes weight despite UFC Fight Island 7 fight cancellation

Hall

Report – Ryan Hall vs. Dan Ige slated for UFC event on March 13th.

January 14, 2021 By Ross Markey

The UFC's March 13th. Fight Night event has received another massive addition. Grappling sensation, Ryan 'The Wizard' Hall is in line for his first Octagon appearance in almost two years as he draws recent UFC Fight … Continue Reading about Report – Ryan Hall vs. Dan Ige slated for UFC event on March 13th.

McGregor

Conor McGregor open to lightweight rubber match with Nate Diaz

January 14, 2021 By Ross Markey

With two-time opponent, Nate Diaz expected to return to the lightweight limit for his next Octagon outing, former two-weight world champion, 'The Notorious' Conor McGregor has voiced his interest in a rubber match … Continue Reading about Conor McGregor open to lightweight rubber match with Nate Diaz

Robertson

Report – Gillian Robertson vs. Miranda Maverick added to UFC 258 on February 13th.

January 13, 2021 By Ross Markey

A flyweight matchup between contender, Gillian 'The Savage' Robertson and recent Octagon debutante, Miranda 'Feat The' Maverick has been booked for UFC 258 on February 13th. from the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas, … Continue Reading about Report – Gillian Robertson vs. Miranda Maverick added to UFC 258 on February 13th.

Copyright © 2019 - FightBananas.com | All Rights Reserved | Designed & Powered by The One Stop Blog Shop
✕