Dan Hooker is set to welcome Michael Chandler to the UFC later this month on Fight Island. It’s a massive fight for the lightweight division. Some even believe that this fight could set up Dan Hooker to fight McGregor later this year.
Conor McGregor will also be competing on Fight Island this month. He’s set up for a huge bout with Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 257. Today, we’re going to talk about what exactly is happening in the UFC’s lightweight division.
Let’s get into it!
The Race Towards the UFC Lightweight Title Continues
Since 2018, Khabib Nurmagomedov has been the undisputed UFC lightweight champion of the world. He proved time and time again to be one of the greatest MMA fighters of all-time. After his October victory over Justin Gaethje, Khabib announced his retirement from the sport.
No one wants to see Khabib hang the gloves up. He’s just 32 years old and still has many incredible matchups on the horizon. He now only seems interested in taking a fight with former welterweight champion, George St. Pierre.
Fortunately, there are a huge number of amazing lightweight fighters now pushing for a title shot.
The lightweight division might be the best in MMA. It’s here that fighters like Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Dan Hooker are competing in. Most believe we’ll have a clear number-one contender after the trio of events taking place on Fight Island this month.
Conor McGregor is essentially guaranteed a title shot with a win over Poirier on January 23. He looked incredible last January by knocking out Donald Cerrone in just 47 seconds. Conor remains the most popular fighter in MMA and is a major Pay-Per-View draw.
Dan Hooker and Michael Chandler are competing in the co-main event of UFC 257. This is another fight featuring two elite-level lightweight fighters. Obviously, many now feel that the winner of the Hooker-Chandler fight could take on the winner of McGregor vs. Poirier for the lightweight title of the world.
January 23 will be a massive day for the UFC’s lightweight division. More fans are now beginning to debate how the co-main event of UFC 257 will play out.
Here’s What Could Set Up Dan Hooker to Fight McGregor
Dan Hooker has been at the elite-level of the lightweight division for years. He seemed to truly come into his own after a loss to Edson Barboza back in December of 2018. He’s gone 3-1 since that time with wins over James Vick, Al Iaquinta, and Paul Felder.
Hooker’s most recent fight came against Dustin Poirier. This ended up being one of the best fights of 2020. Dan gave Poirier everything he could handle for two rounds, yet faded in the final three and lost a unanimous decision.
As we mentioned earlier, Hooker will be taking on Michael Chandler on January 23. It’s Chandler’s first fight in the UFC. Many now believe that a victory could allow Dan Hooker to fight McGregor sometime later this year. Dan spoke about this possibility to the media this week.
“They invested a whole lot of money to get this guy [Michael Chandler] out of his contract and get him over to the UFC, and they are going to throw him in with me who is a bad stylistic matchup,” he said. “And I’m gonna break the toy in five minutes. I can’t say I feel sorry for them… I’d be lying if I’m saying that’s not a big reason why I jumped at the opportunity to not only fight Michael Chandler, but to be on this card and to have that possibility… that’s the McGregor roulette, baby. You’re going to have a chance at winning the McGregor roulette. He’s not lying when he’s saying get the red panties out because it’s going to change your life! As a fighter, you’ll do anything for that fight.”
The stylistic matchup between Dan Hooker and Conor McGregor would be amazing. Both men are elite strikers with serious knockout power. If both men manage to win their upcoming bouts, this seems like a fight that will come together.
Dustin Poirier has the opportunity to throw a wrench in these plans, though. He’s the underdog leading into fight night, yet seems to feel confident that he can get the victory over McGregor.
Dustin Poirier is Enjoying His Role As Underdog
Conor McGregor is a bit of a wildcard these days. He’s been involved in numerous legal disputes over the years outside of the cage. He proved that he is still an elite fighter with a victory over Donald Cerrone back in January of 2020.
Sites like BetOnline list Conor McGregor as the betting favorite heading into his bout with Dustin Poirier. He currently holds odds of -275 to get the win. He won the first fight with Dustin back in 2014 and seems to be in even better shape for this bout on January 23.
Poirier isn’t a fighter known for backing down to challenges. He has taken the hard road to get where he is and has beaten some of the best lightweights on the planet. For now, he remains the +235 underdog heading into the bout against Conor.
This is perhaps the biggest fight the UFC has put on in years. Everyone is curious to see how both Conor and Dustin look. Having a co-main event featuring two other lightweights makes this card even more exciting.
If things work out a certain way, the UFC could set up Dan Hooker to fight McGregor. That fight would serve nicely as the first lightweight title fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov retired. We’ll be sure to offer more updates on this situation over the next few weeks!
Which lightweight fight are you looking forward to the most this year? Do you think we’ll see Dan Hooker and Michael Chandler fight? Let us know in the comments section below!
The post A Win Over Chandler Could Set Up Dan Hooker to Fight McGregor appeared first on GamblingSites.ORG.
