Michael Chandler faces Dan Hooker in his UFC debut but he isn’t done with his weight cut ahead of UFC 257
UFC 257 sees a main event of Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier, but the co-main event is a big clash too.
This sees former Bellator champion, Michael Chandler, make his UFC debut and he faces a tough task in Dan Hooker.
Hooker might be coming off a loss against Poirier, but the Kiwi is as tough as they come. Chandler will not have it easy and despite being a three-time Lightweight Bellator champion, he has to be wary of his rival.
One major issue that every fighter has to deal with before a fight is the weight cut. Chandler did cut weight during the Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Justin Gaethje clash since he was the standby.
However, this is a different task and the American confirmed that he still needed to shed a few pounds.
Fighters often take drastic measures to ensure they make weight before a fight. Missing weight leads to a cut in the payout and the UFC also ensures no bonuses are awarded.
Hopefully, things go well for Chandler in all this and he does make weight ahead of a big clash.
The title next?
The winner of this clash could get a shot at the title next. Khabib hasn’t confirmed he would return but has stated that if someone impressed him at UFC 257, there could be something special in the making.
Dana White also hasn’t stripped Khabib yet and the winner of Poirier vs McGregor could end up taking on the winner of Hooker vs Chandler.
Of course, there are two other names in the Lightweight title scene too. Gaethje hasn’t fought since losing to Khabib while Charles Oliveira caught the attention of Khabib after he dismantled Tony Ferguson.
The Lightweight division is stacked with talent, and it will be interesting to see what happens after this weekend.
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