Dan Hooker is ready for anything when he takes the Octagon to compete against highly touted newcomer Michael Chandler, and he thinks Chandler himself will help him in his task.
The UFC 257 co-main event between Dan Hooker and Michael Chandler can be chalked up to be a classic striker vs. grappler bout. Michael Chandler’s credentials as a Division I wrestler have been well documented, and Dan Hooker’s striking attributes have been on display in each of his UFC bouts. If Chandler is to successfully implement a grappling-heavy gameplan, there are no two ways about it: he will need to close the distance on Dan Hooker. And in so doing, he will fall right into the Hangman.
“That’s the funny thing about it. For a long, rangy guy, that’s the hard part for me is chasing someone smaller around,” Hooker said in an interview with The Mac Life. “That is actually the hard part because they can duck under and get to you. But I don’t think he has a reverse gear. I think he’s gonna come forward. He’ll come to me, so I feel like he’s doing the hard work for me.”
There is always a chance that Michael Chandler will be able to utilize his wrestling during the bout, though, even if Dan Hooker is able to find success on the feet. If this scenario plays out, Hooker is not concerned and has said that he welcomes the challenge of engaging in grappling exchanges with the Division I wrestler. We will see how this intriguing lightweight fight will play out very soon when the two lock horns tonight at UFC 257.
UFC 257 takes place tonight at 10:00 PM Eastern and will stream exclusively on ESPN+. MMA News will keep you plugged in with all the live results. You can view the full card for the event below:
Main Card (10:00 PM ET)
Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor
Michael Chandler vs. Dan Hooker
Joanne Calderwood vs. Jessica Eye
Makhmud Muradov vs. Andrew Sanchez
Amanda Ribas vs. Marina Rodriguez
Prelims (8:00 PM ET)
Arman Tsarukyan vs. Matt Frevola
Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Brad Tavares
Sara McMann vs. Julianna Pena
Marcin Prachnio vs. Khalil Rountree
Early Prelims (7:00 PM ET)
Movsar Evloev vs. Nik Lentz
Amir Albazi vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov
How do you see the UFC 257 co-main event between Dan Hooker and Michael Chandler playing out?
