(R-L) Michael Chandler punches Dan Hooker of New Zealand in a lightweight fight during the UFC 257 event inside Etihad Arena on UFC Fight Island on January 23, 2021 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Michael Chandler announced himself to the UFC with a stunning debut win over Dan Hooker
Michael Chandler sent a marker for the rest of the UFC after a dominating debut against Dan Hooker.
The former Bellator champion came into this fight as the underdog, despite Hooker losing to Dustin Poirier in his last fight.
Chandler wasted little to no time against the Kiwi and was circling him like a shark. Iron Mike, as Chandler is called, used a vicious punch to down Hooker and got the TKO win in the first round.
This was an incredible punch from the UFC debutant and he certainly proved he isn’t here to waste time.
Chandler is keen on becoming the UFC Lightweight champion and wants to fight the top stars. He cut an incredible promo which was akin to Ric Flair’s Royal Rumble promo from a few decades back.
Chandler called out Poirier, Conor McGregor and the retired Khabib Nurmagomedov and left everyone stunned.
Hooker barely got a hit or two in at Chandler, and Iron Mike certainly now wants a top five fight again.
While Poirier has come out and said he has no interest in fighting Chandler, the UFC has a tough decision to make regarding the future of the Lightweight division.
Khabib wasn’t impressed after UFC 257 and isn’t keen on returning. The biggest star in the promotion, McGregor, lost badly to Poirier and Dana White has to decide who fights for the title next.
Poirier should be in the running and was the talk of the town after UFC 257. However, just prior to his outing, it was Chandler who grabbed all the headlines.
Many UFC stars were shocked at how great the former Bellator star was and here are some of their reactions from Twitter.
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