To those who don’t know, the co-main event of UFC 257 is headlined by Michael Chandler’s debut against Dan Hooker. This fight is very significant as it will mark the beginning of a new journey for the Bellator legend. The 3 time Bellator champion signed with UFC in September 2020 as a substitute for UFC 254 main event. While Chandler is set to start another chapter in his star-studded career, The Hangman is eyeing getting on a winning track once again.
Dan Hooker Has a Granite Chin
Dan Hooker fights out of City Kickboxing, where Israel Adesanya also trains. Besides having an extensive background in Muay Thai, he’s also a former professional kickboxer with a slick movement during his fights. Talking about his fighting style, he’s primarily a brawler with a granite chin. Most notably, Dustin Poirier’s heavy strikes failed even once to knock Hooker down. Even Chandler has acknowledged him to be a serious threat due to his aggressiveness and a good chin. His hips are extremely flexible and it facilitates him to throw lethal knee strikes on his opponent’s head.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXoi8PN8CVM
On the other hand, Chandler is an NCAA Division 1 wrestler who is known to ragdoll his opponents. A fairly strong fighter, he is very fast and relies on his footwork to get inside and outside of his opponents’ range. His speed and strong build enable him to put a lot of power into his strikes. This makes him very dangerous on his feet and a feared knockout artist. If Hooker decides to eat Chandler’s strikes then he’s going to be in a tight fix.
The Hangman’s BJJ skills come in handy while evading takedown and submission attempts and unleashing on him. The most notable example is his excellent takedown defense against Dustin Poirier. But, Iron is quite capable of efficiently executing standing submission attempts by his strength. So, if he manages to hold Hooker in a clinch, Chandler can easily execute his lethal guillotine on him.
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Hooker has a flair for mixing his strikes evenly which makes him less predictable. But, his biggest drawback is his flawed defense. He eats too many strikes instead of making defensive changes in his game. On the other hand, the Bellator veteran is quite a complete fighter with lethal ground and pound.
Dan Hooker Is Michael Chandler’s First Test Among UFC Elites
The lightweight division is a division of lions. We’ve seen Dan Hooker rising through its ranks quite rapidly. During his stint with the UFC, he has been stopped on only 1 occasion. This tough as nails 6th rank contender is going to test if Chandler still possesses the caliber to compete against the top lightweights of this generation. This is the UFC’s way to test its new signees. Though the former Bellator champ seems to be the underdog in this upcoming 3 round back and forth, you never know what might happen in combat sports.
Aftermath
If Chandler manages to turn the tides to get past this challenge, he will rise through the lightweight ranks fairly quickly than his contemporaries thanks to his time spent in Bellator. But, if Hooker succeeds in proving the odds right, he will surely become one of the more dangerous contenders to watch out for in the lightweight division.