M. Chandler (left) faces D. Hooker (right) in the UFC 257. Photo: SUPER FIGHTS montage
Chosen to ‘welcome’ Michael chandler in Ultimate, Dan Hooker It's just trust. On January 23, at UFC 257, in Abu Dhabi, the New Zealander will have the duty of defeating one of the biggest names in Bellator history. The North American’s successful trajectory in MMA, however, does not seem to shake the ‘Enforcador’.
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“The danger lies when you are placed in the top-5. If you put him against someone who has just arrived in the UFC, like top-50, 30, 20, 15, then his chances of losing plummet exponentially. So, the faster they get him out of a title fight, the faster they can sell. Will you give me the new toy? I'll break it down quickly. They (UFC) invested a lot of money in this guy (Chandler) to bring him and they play him against me, which is a bad style for him. I can’t feel sorry for them (UFC)”, joked Hooker, in an interview with SCMP MMA.
Current number six in the lightweight rankings (up to 70,3kg), Dan knows he wasn't the first option to face Chandler, who arrived in Ultimate in September. The North American reached a verbal agreement to face Tony Ferguson, but the discrepancy with the dates prevented the confrontation from taking place. Charles of the Bronxs was also speculated to trade forces against Michael, as Hooker claims.
“I think they wanted someone else to take the fight. I heard they tried to get it right with (Justin) Gaethje and Dana White said something like, 'We were trying (Charles) Oliveira (from the Bronx), but he didn't stick. So Hooker accepted’. People ask me: ‘In such a short time?’. I've been training for a while now. I'll be ready. I prepared for this fight a while ago,” said the New Zealander.
The confrontation between Hooker and Chandler will take place at the same event as Conor McGregor e Dustin poirier face each other in the main fight. The spectacle, then, will be even more important for the future of the division led by Khabib Nurmagomedov.
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