Michael Chandler News

Adam Martin - January 31, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Dustin Poirier suggested that Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler fight each other for the vacant title. The race for the UFC lightweight title is high in the wake of Poirier’s knockout win over Conor McGregor at UFC 257. With UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov almost assuredly set to retire in the coming weeks and vacate the belt, Poirier — the self-named “uncrowned world champion” —  is fully expected to be one half of whatever the next lightweight title fight is. His opponent, however, is still up in the air, with McGregor, Chandler, Oliveira, and Nate Diaz all realistic options.

Chris Taylor - January 30, 2021

Dan Hooker has made his first social media appearance since suffering a brutal knockout loss to Michael Chandler at UFC 257. Hooker (20-10 MMA) squared off with the former Bellator champion in the co-headliner of last weekend’s pay-per-view with hopes of spoiling Chandler’s Octagon debut.

Tom Taylor - January 29, 2021

Michael Chandler got a personal Zoom call from pro wrestling legend Ric Flair after making his Octagon debut at UFC 257. Chandler couldn’t have looked better in his first UFC bout, knocking out Dan Hooker in the first-round to usurp the No. 4 spot in the promotion’s lightweight rankings.

Cole Shelton - January 27, 2021

Michael Chandler knows Jake Paul picked Ben Askren for a reason, but he believes people can’t overlook “Funky” in their fight. On April 17, Paul is set for his third professional boxing match against Askren in what should be a very intriguing bout. This will be the first time Paul fights a legit fighter, as his other two wins are over a YouTuber and an ex-NBA player.

Adam Martin - January 26, 2021

Patricio Pitbull says that the success of Michael Chandler and Eddie Alvarez in the UFC is showing the “power of Bellator.” Chandler had an amazing UFC debut last weekend at UFC 257 when he brutally knocked out the typically-durable Dan Hooker with punches in the first round. Heading into the UFC, there were many question marks about the former three-time Bellator lightweight champion, but Chandler’s win over Hooker showed that he is an elite fighter. And if you think Chandler is good, just remember Pitbull knocked him out in June 2019. Both men are proof Bellator is home to some of the sport’s elite.

Harry Kettle - January 26, 2021

Dan Hooker’s head coach Eugene Bareman has given his thoughts on Hooker’s devastating loss to Michael Chandler at UFC 257. Hooker was unable to get back on the winning trail against Chandler on Saturday night as he suffered a first round TKO that massively sets him back in his quest to win the UFC Lightweight Championship.

Adam Martin - January 25, 2021

UFC lightweight Michael Chandler sent a message to Dustin Poirier, predicting that he will “finish him within the first two rounds.” Chandler knocked out Dan Hooker in brutal fashion in the co-main event of UFC 257. When it comes to making an impression in your UFC debut, it can’t get any better than what Chandler did. It sure looked like Chandler was going to be the star of the night, but Poirier went and outdid him with a crazy KO over Conor McGregor in the main event. Chandler and Poirier were both rewarded with $50,000 bonuses for their victories, and it’s possible both men will next fight each other for the vacant title.

Cole Shelton - January 25, 2021

In the main event of UFC 257, Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor had their rematch six years in the making. The co-main event saw Dan Hooker welcome Michael Chandler to the UFC in a very intriguing lightweight bout. In the end, Poirier exacted his revenge as he knocked out McGregor in the second round. The co-main event, meanwhile, saw Chandler TKO Dan Hooker in the first round to cement his case as a top contender.

Harry Kettle - January 25, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler has revealed the origins behind his Ric Flair-inspired promo after his UFC 257 win. Chandler announced his entry into the Ultimate Fighting Championship with an emphatic TKO victory over Dan Hooker this past weekend, firmly establishing himself as one of the rising stars at 155 pounds.

Adam Martin - January 24, 2021

UFC president Dana White scolded lightweight Michael Chandler for his celebratory backflip, saying “somebody’s going to get f*cking hurt.” Following his KO win over Dan Hooker in the co-main event of UFC 257, newly-minted UFC lightweight contender Chandler did a backflip off the top of the Octagon fence, and it appeared he had hurt his ankles on the way down. Thankfully he’s fine, but it could have been potentially been really bad had he landed the wrong way, and it had White worried. Chandler is certainly not the first fighter to do a backflip to celebrate — Justin Gaethje also does it on the regular — but every time a fighter does a backflip, it leaves White wincing.

Adam Martin - January 24, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler released a statement following his first-round knockout win over Dan Hooker at UFC 257. Chandler is the former three-time Bellator lightweight champion who signed a big-money contract with the UFC last summer. After serving as the backup at UFC 254 this past October, Chandler finally made his official Octagon at UFC 257 on Saturday night, picking up a brutal first-round KO win over Dan Hooker. Following the victory, Chandler took to his social media to release a lengthy statement. Check out what “Iron” wrote on his Instagram below.

Adam D Martin - January 24, 2021

Watch UFC lightweight stars Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor, and Michael Chandler cross paths backstage after Saturday night’s UFC 257 event. Poirier stopped McGregor via second-round TKO in the UFC 257 main event, while Chandler finished Dan Hooker in the first round in the co-main event. Following the event, all three men ran into each other backstage. Take a look at two videos of the lightweights meeting below (h/t Chamatkar Sandhu).

Adam D Martin - January 24, 2021

Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull trashed former rival Michael Chandler following his UFC 257 first-round knockout win over Dan Hooker. Pitbull and Chandler met in Bellator back in June 2019, with Pitbull scoring an upset when he knocked Chandler out in the first round to win the Bellator lightweight title. Both Pitbull and Chandler are universally regarded as the two best home-grown Bellator fighters of all time, but Chandler finally made the move to the big show when he decided to sign with the UFC in 2020. He made his promotional debut at UFC 257, knocking Hooker out in the first round.

Christopher Taylor - January 23, 2021

Dana White was on hand to watch his newest signee Michael Chandler make his Octagon debut against Dan Hooker at UFC 257. Chandler (22-5 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.

Christopher Taylor - January 23, 2021

The Octagon remained on Fight Island for tonight’s UFC 257 event, an eleven-bout fight card headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier. The highly anticipated lightweight rematch proved to be a story of two rounds. Conor McGregor got off to a good start in the opening round but the tide quickly turned in favor of Dustin Poirier in round two. ‘The Diamond’ would eventually unload a plethora of punches on the Irish star causing him to hit the canvas. From there, Poirier put McGregor away with ground and pound.

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.

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.

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.