Michael Chandler News

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.

Adam Martin - January 25, 2021

Fresh off of a KO win over Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier is favored by the oddsmakers to hold the UFC lightweight title by the end of 2021. Poirier picked up the biggest win of his career in the main event of UFC 257 when he picked up a brilliant second-round knockout win over McGregor. With UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov likely headed into retirement, there will soon be a vacant title that will be fought for. Poirier seems likely to be one half of that fight, but his opponent is still a mystery, with potential opponents including Charles Oliveira, Michael Chandler, and Nate Diaz, amongst others. It’s very fair to say that, right now, the lightweight division is wide open, but with Poirier a slight step ahead.

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 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

Michael Chandler issued a bold prediction for a potential title fight matchup with UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Chandler knocked out Dan Hooker in the first round in what was an absolutely devastating fashion to mark a brilliant UFC debut for the former Bellator champion. Chandler came into the bout as the underdog but he proved the oddsmakers wrong when he KOed Hooker. It’s a massive win for “Iron” in his UFC debut and it’s the quality victory that could potentially earn him a title fight against Nurmagomedov if the champ decides to come out of retirement.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.