Michael Chandler News

Dan Hooker, Michael Chandler
Michael Chandler

Pros react after Michael Chandler KO's Dan Hooker at UFC 257

Chris Taylor - January 23, 2021

Tonight’s UFC 257 was co-headlined by a key lightweight scrap featuring former Bellator champion Michael Chandler taking on Dan Hooker. Chandler (21-5 MMA) was making his UFC debut after scoring back-to-back knockouts in his most recent Bellator appearances. In his most previous effort back in August, Michael needed just over two minutes to finish former UFC champion Benson Henderson.

Michael Chandler
Michael Chandler

UFC 257 Results: Michael Chandler KO's Dan Hooker (Video)

Chris Taylor - January 23, 2021

Tonight’s UFC 257 is co-headlined by a key lightweight scrap featuring former Bellator champion Michael Chandler taking on Dan Hooker. Chandler (21-5 MMA) will make his UFC debut after scoring back-to-back knockouts in his most recent Bellator appearances. In his most recent effort back in August, Michael needed just over two minutes to finish former UFC champion Benson Henderson.

Dan Hooker, Michael Chandler
Dan Hooker

Michael Chandler and Dan Hooker share their picks for 'McGregor vs. Poirier 2' at UFC 257

Chris Taylor - January 23, 2021

Lightweight standouts Michael Chandler and Dan Hooker have shared their picks for tonight’s ‘McGregor vs. Poirier 2’ fight at UFC 257. Chandler and Hooker are set to collide in the co-headliner of tonight’s pay-per-view event, which is immediately followed by the aforementioned ‘McGregor vs. Poirier 2’ rematch.

Henry Cejudo, Weili Zhang
Dan Hooker

Henry Cejudo shares bold predictions for 'Chandler vs. Hooker' and 'Poirier vs. McGregor 2' at UFC 257

Chris Taylor - January 23, 2021

Henry Cejudo has shared some bold predictions for tonight’s ‘Chandler vs. Hooker’ and ‘Poirier vs. McGregor 2’ fights at UFC 257. The former UFC flyweight and bantamweight champion, Cejudo ( MMA), took to Twitter with the following video discussing tonight’s two key lightweight bouts.

Michael-Chandler-Ben-Askren
Michael Chandler

Michael Chandler: 'There's a lot of people comparing me to Ben Askren'

Drake Riggs - January 21, 2021

Michael Chandler isn’t the first high-profile Bellator champion to make the crossover into the UFC and he surely will not be the last. Among the most notable acquisitions in UFC history, the first that comes to mind will probably be the likes of Eddie Alvarez and Ben Askren — both men that have connections to Chandler. However, each’s level of success varies greatly.

Dan Hooker
Michael Chandler

Dan Hooker believes the hype behind Michael Chandler’s debut at UFC 257 is definitely warranted after watching film

Harry Kettle - January 20, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker believes that the hype surrounding Michael Chandler heading into UFC 257 is justified. Hooker has a huge opportunity in front of him this Saturday night with the belief being that if he can overcome Chandler in a dominant manner, there’s a chance he could go on to fight for the Lightweight Championship sooner rather than later.

Michael Chandler
Michael Chandler

Michael Chandler explains why he is not focused on trying to impress Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 257

Harry Kettle - January 20, 2021

UFC newcomer Michael Chandler has explained why he isn’t focused on trying to impress Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 257. Chandler is set to make his UFC debut when he locks horns with fellow lightweight contender Dan Hooker in what should be a fascinating co-main event on Fight Island this weekend.

Michael Chandler, Benson Henderson
UFC

Michael Chandler explains why Dan Hooker is a tougher matchup than McGregor, Poirier, and Gaethje

Cole Shelton - January 18, 2021

Michael Chandler believes Dan Hooker is one of the tougher matchups for him in the UFC. In the co-main event of UFC 257, Chandler is set to make his UFC debut against Hooker in a very intriguing bout. It is a top-10 opponent for the former Bellator champ and a tough test for him. Although Hooker is not ranked in the top-three, Chandler believes the Kiwi is a tougher challenger than Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje.

Michael Chandler, Conor McGregor
UFC

Michael Chandler reveals "every single one of them in the top-five, besides Conor" turned him down

Cole Shelton - January 14, 2021

Michael Chandler had a hard time getting someone to fight him in his UFC debut. In the co-main event of UFC 257, Chandler will finally make the walk to the Octagon for the first time against Dan Hooker. It is a top-10 opponent for the former Bellator lightweight champion, but not a top-five guy he wanted.

Charles Oliveira
Dana White

Charles Oliveira turned down short-notice fight against Michael Chandler, confirms Dana White

Adam Martin - January 13, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Charles Oliveira turned down a short-notice fight against Michael Chandler, confirmed UFC president Dana White. Oliveira is one of the hottest fights on the planet right now, having won eight straight fights including a dominant performance against Tony Ferguson at UFC 255. Oliveira dominated the former interim champ, prompting White to call him one of the top-three lightweight fighters in the world. Oliveira himself believes that he should be next in line for a title shot and said he hopes to be in attendance at UFC 257 next week, ready to challenge the winner of Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier.

Michael Chandler, Conor McGregor
UFC

Michael Chandler: 'I can start calling some shots' after UFC 257

Drake Riggs - January 12, 2021

Michael Chandler has his UFC debut set. At UFC 257, the former three-time Bellator champion will be helping provide some clarity in the grand scheme of things at 155-pounds. In doing so, he’ll go to war with Dan “The Hangman” Hooker.

Dan Hooker, Michael Chandler, Dustin Poirier
Dustin Poirier

Dustin Poirier makes prediction for Dan Hooker vs. Michael Chandler

Tom Taylor - January 7, 2021

Dustin Poirier has made a prediction for the upcoming lightweight fight between top-10 contender Dan Hooker and former Bellator champ Michael Chandler. Hooker and Chandler will collide in the co-main event of UFC 257 on January 23—a card that will be headlined by a rematch between Poirier and Conor McGregor.

Michael Chandler
Michael Chandler

Michael Chandler believes he can "entice" Khabib Nurmagomedov out of retirement with right strategy at UFC 257

Tom Taylor - January 5, 2021

Michael Chandler believes he might be able to “entice” Khabib Nurmagomedov out of retirement if he employs the right strategy in his UFC debut. Chandler, the former Bellator lightweight champion, is slated to make his first steps into the Octagon at UFC 257, when he’ll take on New Zealand’s Dan Hooker.

Tony Ferguson, Michael Chandler
Tony Ferguson

Michael Chandler explains why Tony Ferguson fight fell apart: “The situation was definitely mismanaged”

Cole Shelton - January 4, 2021

Michael Chandler wanted to have his UFC debut against Tony Ferguson, but that did not come to fruition. After Chandler signed with the UFC, it was reported he would be on the UFC 254 card against Ferguson. However, negotiations stalled, and the former Bellator lightweight champion ended up being the backup fighter for the Gaethje vs. Khabib title fight. Now, as Chandler is set to face Dan Hooker at UFC 257, Chandler explained why the Ferguson fight didn’t happen.

Michael Chandler
Michael Chandler

Michael Chandler claims he's a "nightmare" matchup for Conor McGregor

Cole Shelton - January 4, 2021

Michael Chandler is confident in his skill set as he believes he is a nightmare matchup for Conor McGregor. In the co-main event of UFC 257, Michael Chandler will finally make his Octagon debut against Dan Hooker in an intriguing matchup. If the former Bellator lightweight champion wins, he will likely be in line for a big fight against someone like Justin Gaethje, or the winner of Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 2. If it happens to be the latter, and McGregor wins, Chandler believes he would get his hand raised.

Michael Chandler, Conor McGregor
Michael Chandler

Michael Chandler vs. Dan Hooker official for UFC 257

Adam Martin - January 3, 2021

A highly-intriguing lightweight bout between Michael Chandler and Dan Hooker is now official for UFC 257 later this month. Chandler vs. Hooker is set to take place on the UFC 257 undercard, behind the main event between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. This bout between Chandler and Hooker was verbally agreed to previously and is now official, according to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, who notes several last-minute hurdles were cleared. UFC 257 takes place on January 23 on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.

Michael Chandler, Daniel Cormier
UFC

Michael Chandler announces launch of fight camp

Tom Taylor - November 30, 2020

Former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler, one of the newer additions to the UFC roster, has announced that he’s starting fight camp. Chandler signed with the UFC in the fall, and was was immediately slated as the understudy for the UFC 254-headlining lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje. In the end, both Nurmagomedov and Gaethje made it to the Octagon that night, which meant Chandler’s services weren’t needed, and his UFC debut was put on ice.

Michael Chandler, Dana White
Michael Chandler

Dana White updates on Michael Chandler's UFC debut: There's "no hurry"

Tom Taylor - November 30, 2020

UFC President Dana White says there is “no hurry” to schedule the UFC debut of former Bellator lightweight champion “Iron” Michael Chandler. Chandler signed with the UFC in the fall, and was was immediately pegged as the understudy for the UFC 254-headlining lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje. In the end, both Nurmagomedov and Gaethje made it to the Octagon that night, which meant Chandler’s services weren’t needed, and his UFC debut was put on ice.