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Dan Hooker Says UFC Are Trying to Market and Sell Michael Chandler at UFC 257

Published 01/06/2021, 10:44 PM EST

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Dan Hooker will be the one to welcome Michael Chandler to the UFC. After months of speculation about possible matchups, the UFC has finally confirmed ‘Iron’s debut with the promotion. The duo will fight in the co-main event spot of UFC 257.

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In an interview with SCMP MMA, ‘The Hangman’ shared his thoughts on what took so long for the fight to materialize. “I think that they were just trying to get other people to take the fight. That’s what the hold up was. I heard really early on, they were trying to get Gaethje to take it,” Hooker started.

‘The Hangman’ thinks that the UFC is trying to market Michael Chandler as much as possible, and they are trying to push him to a title shot. That’s why the organization wanted to match ‘Iron’ up with a top-ranked opponent in his first appearance, as there are dangers in making him fight lower-ranked fighters in the division.

Anyone that’s following the sport for a good amount of time knows that the danger lies in time. Father time in this sport is not your friend. They want him to come in look like the man,” said Hooker.

He comes in, whitewashes a top 5, a top 4, top 3 opponent, then people will start grinding title shot, title shot, title shot… The quicker they could get him to the title, the quicker they could market him and sell him,” he added.

Dan Hooker will be looking to get back to winning ways against Chandler

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Hooker is coming off of a loss against Dustin Poirier in a 5 round war. Poirier will headline UFC 257 against Conor McGregor. But the former Bellator champion Chandler will have his hands full against a dangerous opponent in Hooker.

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This will be a great opportunity for Hooker to showcase himself in a high-profile fight against a former Bellator champion in Chandler. An impressive performance will certainly solidify his claims as one of the top lightweights on the planet.

Who do you think gets the win at UFC 257? Can Michael Chandler be a success in the UFC”?

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Written by:

Apratim Banerjee

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Apratim Banerjee is an MMA author for EssentiallySports and has been writing professionally for almost a year. Before his current gig, Apratim worked as a UFC writer for Sportskeeda. A long-time MMA fan, Apratim has developed a critical eye for the sport that has helped him transfer his vast knowledge to his copies and give hardcore and casual readers a detailed insight into the fights and fighters.
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