Michael Chandler has heard tons of people comparing him to Ben Askren ahead of his UFC debut.
In the co-main event of UFC 257, Chandler is set to face Dan Hooker in his Octagon debut which is a fight many fans are looking forward to. The three-time Bellator lightweight champion has said he is the best lightweight in the world and can now try and prove it.
However, in the lead-up to this fight, the last Bellator champion who made the move to the UFC was Ben Askren and struggled. However, Chandler says they are two different fighters.
“Listen, I’m well-aware of Ben’s fights in the UFC, his stint in the UFC,” Chandler said during UFC 257 media day. “I’m well-aware he seemed to be more bark than he was bite in his UFC career, I guess, going 1-2. But I can guarantee right now Ben Askren lays his head on his pillow at night and sleeps like a baby knowing that he came to the UFC, he put his best foot forward, he came up short a couple of times.
“It remains to be seen what the Michael Chandler story will be. I believe it’s going to be a lot different than Ben’s. That doesn’t make me any better or any worse than him. He’s a dear friend of mine, like a big brother to me. So we will see how the story is told. There’s a lot of people comparing me to Ben Askren, which, there’s the Mizzou connection, the friendship that we have. We shall see.”
If Michael Chandler can beat Dan Hooker, he will likely be in a number one contender bout and could easily be fighting for the belt sometime in 2021.
