UFC 257: Michael Chandler says fight with Conor McGregor inevitable ‘if I do my job’ vs Dan Hooker
- Former Bellator champ faces No 6 ranked ‘Hangman’ in co-main event looking to leapfrog lightweight queue on debut
- ‘If I win and look impressive then I think it’s inevitable that our paths will cross,’ Chandler says of headliner McGregor
Michael Chandler will face a baptism of fire at UFC 257 as he prepares to fight No 6-ranked lightweight, Dan Hooker.
The co-main event in Abu Dhabi on Sunday will be former Bellator champ Chandler’s hotly-anticipated UFC debut in the promotion’s first pay-per-view of the year.
Conor McGregor (22-4) will take on Dustin Poirier (26-6, one no contest) in the star-studded main event on Fight Island. Should anything happen to either before fight night, 34-year-old American Chandler is hopeful he’ll be stepping in.
“Of course, I would hope they would give me that call if something happened during the weight cut or during Covid tests or what not,” said Chandler.
“But [I’m] just focused on the task at hand which is Dan Hooker. Focused on what we have going on right now. It’s never actually a ‘for sure’ thing until we step into that Octagon and the cage door closes, but I would definitely want to be the first call that they make.”
