Top lightweight talent Dan Hooker has been gifted with the task of welcoming former Bellator champ Michael Chandler to the UFC. However Dan is expecting to have a pretty easy time against Mike, to say the least.
Few were expecting Hooker to be the one to fight Chandler first, inside the UFC Octagon. There were several other names floated around after the former champ signed to the UFC and was slated as a backup for a title fight.
Chandler clearly wanted somebody in the top five, calling out Tony Ferguson and Charles Oliveira. However in the end, the sixth ranked Dan would be the one to sign on the dotted line and agree to fight Mike.
View this post on Instagram
Dan Hooker Plans To Break Michael Chandler
Since he was not the first, or even the second choice for Michael Chandler to fight, Dan Hooker knows that he is a bad stylistic matchup for the former champ. He said as much, when speaking about the fight in a recent interview.
Not only does he feel that this is a bad matchup for Chandler, but Dan is also happy to play with the UFC’s new toy. Although he warns that he could end up breaking that toy quite quickly.
“To me, it’s like yeah, they’re going to give me the new toy, like I’m going to break the new toy real quick,” Hooker said.
“They invested a whole lot of money to get this guy out of his contract and get him over to the UFC, then they’re going to throw him in there with me, who’s like a bad stylistic matchup.
“I’m going to break the toy in five minutes. Yeah, I can’t say I feel bad for them.”
View this post on Instagram
What A Win Over Chandler Means
Although Michael Chandler has not fought in the UFC yet, he is still regarded as a highly skilled opponent. So Dan Hooker feels that a win over the former Bellator champ will get him pretty close to a title shot next.
“By putting him as the backup for the title, the UFC showed how much stock they put in him. They made sure that he’s on the McGregor undercard,” Hooker explained.
“These are two of the biggest fights in the lightweight division, and they’re putting him as close to them as they possibly can. So that shows what it is, that shows that he’s in the mix.
“That means if I go out there and demolish him, then I’m back in the mix.”
How do you see Dan Hooker vs Michael Chandler going down? Will the winner get the next shot at lightweight gold?
