Michael Chandler

Is the UFC booking Poirier – McGregor 3 next?

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dustin poirier, ufc

Last weekend at UFC 257, we got to see the highly anticipated rematch between Dustin Poirier (27-6, 1 NC) and Conor McGregor (22-5). Both men had their moments in the fight, but just like the first one, this fight didn’t go the distance.

After losing the first round, Poirier really started to do damage to the lead leg of McGregor in the second. Eventually, Poirier kicked McGregor’s calf to the point where his leg seriously buckled. Once Poirier saw McGregor hurt, he never let up.

Poirier pushed McGregor against the fence and unleashed a combination from hell. Eventually, he connected on a right that sat McGregor down and gave him the victory at UFC 257. Arguably the biggest win in the career of Dustin Poirier.

After the fight, Dana White said that it didn’t look good for UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0), in terms of coming back. White said that Poirier would get the next shot at the title.

Dana White said that he’d love to see Poirier fight Michael Chandler, however, Poirier wasn’t interested. In the UFC 257 post-fight press conference, Poirier said he’s mainly thinking of three guys: McGregor, Nate Diaz (20-12), and Charles Oliveira (30-8, 1 NC).

McGregor’s head coach came out this week and said that McGregor wanted the trilogy for the title in April or May. While it seems a little off, is that what the UFC is going to end up doing?

What will the UFC do?

Would there be an ounce of my body that would be surprised if Poirier – McGregor 3 is next? No, because the UFC is a business and that fight would do massively well. Especially considering a title would be attached to it.

Both men want the trilogy and both men have knocked each other out. While it would be a massive fight, I’m not sure it makes the most sense for the lightweight division.

Then again, I can’t see Oliveira getting the shot at Poirier because that fight wouldn’t sell well. The UFC has several options for Dustin Poirier. However, the one fight that would sell the least is a fight with Charles Oliveira.

After hearing Poirier’s comments and comments from the McGregor camp, I would not be shocked at all to see the trilogy get made next. I personally think McGregor and Diaz should fight next, but the promotion might want to capitalize on the heat of the moment between McGregor and Poirier.

State of the lightweight division after UFC 257

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This past weekend at UFC 257, Dustin Poirier (27-6, 1 NC) and Conor McGregor (22-5) had their highly anticipated rematch. The lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0), was watching and trying to decide if he wanted to come back to fighting.

Dustin Poirier had the performance of a lifetime. After losing the first round on all three scorecards, Poirier came back to TKO McGregor in the second round at UFC 257 and proved that he’s the best lightweight in the world not named Khabib Nurmagomedov.

After the event was over, many were wondering what Khabib would do. Khabib had retired after UFC 254 when he dominated Justin Gaethje (22-3) to retain his lightweight title. However, Dana White said that if someone enticed him to come back, he would.

At the UFC 257 post-fight press conference, Dana White said that it didn’t look good for Khabib coming back. At the end of the day, Nurmagomedov dominated the three best lightweights in the UFC in his last three fights. Not only that, but he finished all three of them.

State of the UFC’s lightweight division

For the sake of this, let’s take Khabib out of the question. The number one lightweight in the UFC is Dustin Poirier. He’s proved that over the last few years and now he’s stopped both Conor McGregor and Justin Gaethje.

Right behind Poirier you have McGregor and Gaethje. Charles Oliveira (30-8, 1 NC) is currently on an eight-fight win streak and Poirier said after the fight that he’s probably the most deserving guy in the division of a UFC title shot.

Also at UFC 257, Michael Chandler (22-5) made his debut against Dan Hooker (20-10). Chandler knocked Hooker out in the first round to secure his third straight first round knockout on Saturday night. He’s expected to be in the top five when the rankings come out.

The wildcard in the lightweight division is Nate Diaz (20-12). Diaz is one of the biggest stars in the sport and he’s returning to the lightweight division. After UFC 257, Diaz called for a fight against Dustin Poirier. 

Needless to say, the lightweight division is stacked. Poirier is going to be fighting for the title in his next fight. There are questions around who that will be. Poirier said that he’s only interested in three opponents: McGregor, Diaz, and Oliveira.

However, Dana White said that he believed that Chandler should get the shot at Poirier. If I had to take a guess, I think the UFC is going to put Poirier against Diaz or McGregor for the title. Those are the two biggest fights to make and that’s what The Diamond wants. Fun times ahead at lightweight.

After devastating loss at UFC 257, what’s next for Dan Hooker?

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In the co-main event of UFC 257, Dan Hooker (20-10) got the opportunity to welcome Michael Chandler (22-5) to the promotion. Hooker had been stating in interviews that he wanted to break the UFC’s new toy.

However, that didn’t happen on Saturday night. Hooker never got the chance to really get into the fight. As soon as the fight started, Chandler pushed forward with a lot of pressure. Hooker circled on the outside, but he seemed a little tentative.

It appeared that he was just trying to gauge the timing and closing speed of the UFC newcomer. Hooker threw a couple of nice leg kicks one of which seemed to really get Michael Chandler’s attention.

However, right after that kick landed, the fight would come to a close. Chandler pushed forward with a straight right to the body and followed with a massive left hook that sent Hooker crashing to the canvas. Several follow up shots forced Marc Goddard to call a stop to the action.

What’s next after UFC 257?

This is a crushing loss for Dan Hooker and he showed it after the fight. Hooker threw his gloves down in the octagon and walked out of the cage extremely dejected. There hasn’t been a word from the Hooker camp since the fight.

Normally when a fighter lays his gloves in the octagon, it signals that the fighter is done. However, let’s just go with the assumption that he was upset and he still plans on competing in the UFC‘s lightweight division.

That said, what should come next for Hooker? Realistically, I think there are a couple of options out there. One fun option would be a fight with Tony Ferguson (25-5). Both men are currently on two-fight losing streaks to some of the best guys in the world.

It would be a do or die fight for both men which could make it a lot of fun. That said, if we want to look a little further down the division, a fight with someone like Kevin Lee (18-6) could make sense for Dan Hooker.

Lee is coming off of an injury, but he’s just 1-3 in his last four fights. This could be a good fight for either man to get back on track. I really hope we haven’t seen the last of The Hangman after Saturday night.

After winning his UFC debut, what’s next for Michael Chandler?

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This past Saturday at UFC 257, Michael Chandler (22-5) made his highly anticipated promotional debut. Chandler competed in the co-main event against Dan Hooker (20-10) and many were expecting it to be a tough fight for Chandler.

However, Michael Chandler made a massive statement at UFC 257. Chandler was extremely aggressive in the first round and never gave Hooker the opportunity to get comfortable inside the octagon.

Hooker was being pressured along the cage and never really got a chance to start throwing. Halfway through the round, Chandler through a right straight to the body and followed with a massive left hook up top.

That hook put Hooker down and Chandler followed up with a couple of shots that gave him the knockout win at UFC 257. There were high expectations for Chandler and he passed with flying colors on Saturday night.

What’s next after UFC 257?

Immediately following UFC 257, Dana White said that Chandler would likely meet Dustin Poirier (27-6, 1 NC) for the vacant UFC lightweight title. This is of course assuming that Khabib Nurmagomedov remains retired.

The promotion seemed keen on capitalizing on the eyeballs that were on the card Saturday night. However, Dustin Poirier didn’t sound too enthusiastic about fighting Michael Chandler after Saturday night.

In his post-fight press conference, Poirier made it clear that he wouldn’t be fighting Michael Chandler next. He talked about the fact that Chandler only has one win in the UFC and that shouldn’t warrant a title shot.

In all honesty, I can see where he’s coming from. However, at the end of the day, what the UFC want is ultimately what will happen. That said, I tend to believe that Chandler will not be fighting for the title next.

Chandler strikes me as the type of guy who’s willing to take another fight to prove the point that he deserves the shot. If there’s difficulty in making a UFC title fight for him, I could see him taking on another top contender.

One guy that I think makes a lot of sense for Chandler is Justin Gaethje (22-3). Gaethje is the fight that Chandler originally wanted and he was just the interim UFC lightweight champion. If Chandler can beat Gaethje, there’s no denying the fact that he deserves a title shot.

After knocking out Conor McGregor at UFC 257, what’s next for Dustin Poirier?

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For six years Dustin Poirier (27-6, 1 NC) has wanted to get back his loss to Conor McGregor (22-5). He finally got his chance at UFC 257. McGregor and Poirier headlined last night’s PPV in an event that was pivotal for the lightweight division.

There is no doubting the fact that Dustin Poirier is way better than he was at UFC 178. The questions were whether or not he’s been able to catch up to Conor McGregor or surpass him during that time. Last night, we emphatically got our answer.

Poirier is known for being a slow starter and he did lose the first round at UFC 257. He did have his moments, but McGregor seemed to get the better of the striking exchanges and even landed some of his shoulder strikes.

However, Poirier was still there after the thirst. In the post-fight press conference, Poirier admitted that McGregor really stunned him with a shot in the first. He said that if McGregor would have pushed forward, he thinks he’d have been in a lot of trouble.

However, McGregor didn’t push forward. During these exchanges, Poirier was racking up the leg kicks. By the second round at UFC 257, they had really done a lot of damage. One really wobbled McGregor and Poirier pounced. He transitioned to power shots from that and put McGregor to sleep.

What’s next after UFC 257?

I was truly blown away by the performance of Dustin Poirier last night at UFC 257. He took some really good shots, but he stayed composed and did what was needed to get the job done against Conor McGregor.

There is no questioning the fact that Dustin Poirier should be fighting for the UFC lightweight title next. The question is more around who he will fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0) retiring.

Dana White said that the UFC wants to book Poirier against Michael Chandler (22-5) for the lightweight title. However, Poirier said in the post-fight press conference that he doesn’t have any interest in fighting Chandler.

Poirier said that the only UFC fights he’s interested in is the trilogy fight with McGregor or fighting Nate Diaz (20-12). Diaz and Poirier were supposed to fight a couple of years ago before Poirier got injured.

Time will tell what will happen, but The Diamond should be getting a title shot no matter who he fights. One thing for sure is that Poirier made it clear that he’s the UFC’s best lightweight not named Khabib last night.

UFC: If Khabib stays retired, Poirier will fight Chandler for the title per Dana White

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UFC, Dana White

What a night it was at UFC 257. We saw some shocking results and some incredible fights. Of course, the headlines everywhere will be talking about how Dustin Poirier (27-6, 1 NC) knocked out Conor McGregor (22-5) in the second round.

After a good first round for McGregor, Poirier really started to hurt him with leg kicks. A couple of minutes into the second round and McGregor really wobbled from a big calf kick. Poirier swarmed and landed some shots up top that put McGregor down. 

Poirier proved he’s the best lightweight in the UFC not named Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0). Just one fight before Poirier, Michael Chandler (22-5) announced his presence against Dan Hooker (20-10) in the co-main event.

Chandler knocked out Hooker with a vicious left hand and follow up shots. There were a lot of questions about Michael Chandler entering UFC 257 and he answered all of them tonight.

During the post-fight press conference, Dana White was asked about the champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. White said that it didn’t look positive in terms of Khabib coming back to fight again which means the UFC‘s lightweight title is up for grabs. White already has a plan for the title.

UFC’s next lightweight title fight

Dana White told the media after UFC 257 that Dustin Poirier would be fighting Michael Chandler for the lightweight title next. This is of course assuming Khabib decides to stay retired.

Both men are coming off of incredible performances on the biggest stage possible. It makes perfect sense for the UFC to capitalize on the momentum of both fighters after such a massive event.

There are a lot of fans who will probably feel for Charles Oliveira (30-8, 1 NC). Oliveira is currently riding a eight-fight win streak at lightweight. He just dismantled Tony Ferguson (25-5) back at UFC 256.

However, Ferguson is really the only big win that he has. Ferguson’s stock is also not as high after he was destroyed by Justin Gaethje (22-3) earlier in 2020. My guess is that the promotion will book Gaethje – Oliveira.

I think the fight that makes the most sense for the title is Chandler – Poirier. Two incredible performances and two athletes that will bring it for the UFC. 2021 should be a fun year for the lightweight division.

Michael Chandler knocks out Dan Hooker in the first at UFC 257

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The co-main event of UFC 257 featured a pivotal matchup in the lightweight division. Dan Hooker (20-9) was set to welcome former Bellator lightweight champion, Michael Chandler (21-5) to the UFC.

The winner of tonight’s fight was expected to be a major factor in the title picture. As mentioned, Michael Chandler was making his anticipated debut with the UFC after signing with the promotion back in September.

Chandler came into the co-main event on a two-fight win streak which included a first round knockout over former UFC champion, Benson Henderson. Chandler wanted to jump right in with the sharks and he got his opportunity tonight.

It doesn’t get much tougher in the lightweight division than The Hangman. Dan Hooker has completely turned his career around since moving to the lightweight division a few years ago.

Since moving up in weight, he’s gone 7-2 with his only losses coming to Edson Barboza and Dustin Poirier. A win over Michael Chandler tonight would have put Hooker in prime position in the UFC‘s lightweight division.

UFC 257 Recap

Round 1

The UFC 257 co-main event of the evening kicked off with a brief touch of the gloves. Chandler immediately looked to close the distance and Hooker through a nice leg kick. Hooker was flicking leg kicks while circling on the outside.

A minute in and nothing big from Michael Chandler. Hooker seemed content with throwing from the outside. Chandler throws a big body shot to kick off his striking, but it was more of a glancing blow.

Hooker was continuously working the low kicks in the first. Chandler presses Hooker against the fence and he was throwing heat, but nothing major landed. Out of no where Michael Chandler lands a massive left hook and down goes Hooker.

Chandler followed up with a few shots and it’s over. Michael Chandler knocks out Dan Hooker in his UFC debut.

Michael Chandler def. Dan Hooker by KO – Round 1

Chuck Vitolo’s guide to betting UFC 257

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Conor McGregor, UFC

Most are expecting a quick KO by Conor McGregor (-190 odds) at UFC 257 and I understand why, but hear me out.

Dustin Poirier is going to be in total defense mode in RD1 as he and the whole world knows that’s when Conor is the most dangerous. Conor finished him inside of two minutes when they first clashed in 2014 but Poirier has since blossomed into one of the best fighters in the promotion since moving up to lightweight (155 pounds) directly following the loss and its hard to believe he (and Conor too for what it’s worth) ever fought at 145 looking at the size of him now.

Judging by eye, Dustin appeared to be wearing the weight cut harder and weighed in just at the 156-pound limit so it’ll be interesting to see if that has any effect on the both as he had been looking bigger than ever in the months leading up to this fight what I believe to be a clear attempt to gain a size advantage on Conor. He’s making a major risk there as not being fully hydrated/at full strength against a lethal McGregor is playing with fire.

If he and his team are smart – and they are – they have to know his best path to victory is a submission (a Dustin submission pays +1000, great value) in round 2 or later.

On the flip side, I believe Conor is sick and tired of the “he has no cardio” narrative. His team also knows if he ever wants a real shot at beating Khabib he’ll have to evolve and I think we see a totally new approach tonight, a more methodical Conor with a pace; although he’ll surely go for a kill shot if he sees one early.

Really think this one has a solid chance of going the distance, and until I see Conor actually get hurt on his feet, let alone finished I’ll never believe it’s gonna happen. This is gonna be a dogfight, and it’ll be close but if Conor doesn’t finish him early, he’ll gas out for a bit midway but catch a second win and secure a decision win (Conor is +650 to win by decision).

DP is a legit black belt though and that submission threat is very real. On the flip side, Conor’s takedown defense and Jui Jitsu are so underrated and Dustin isn’t a terrific wrestler so it’ll be easier said than done so submit him.

Unfortunately for Dustin, his biggest strength (throwing lethal multi-punch combos) is exactly what Conor feeds into on offense as he’s probably the best counterpuncher in UFC history. It’s simply going to be extremely arduous for him to rock Conor standing, and if Conor is able to slip a few of those punches it could be lights out at any moment.

Overall, Conor is overpriced at closing at around -330 at most books and is more accurately about a -200 favorite if popularity wasn’t a factor.

This is going to be a terrific, tantalizing fight no matter how it ends up shaking out.

UFC 257 outside of the main event

Chandler – Hooker

Have to be honest, I don’t watch much, if any, Bellator so I’ve never really seen Michael Chandler fight live. I think he’s doing to be in for a rude UFC awakening against Dan Hooker (-120) though who has the antidotes for strong wrestlers in the forms of lethal knees and super slick submissions. Would be surprised to see Chandler win (even money).

Believe Hooker will get a finish here and cement himself in the top-five of the sport’s toughest division. It’s going to take an almost perfect effort out of Chandler to best Hooker who is really coming into his own and that’s a tall ask of a guy who is making his UFC debut on such a big stage against a seasoned UFC vet.

Hooker should easily be able to control the distance and even just feinting knees should keep Chandler at bay.

Ribas – Rodriguez

This will be Amanda Ribas’ (-330) true coming out party, as she’s already only about 1-2 solid outings away from a title shot and will be that much closer when she finishes a tough 12-1 Marina Rodriguez, whose only loss is against former champ Carla Esparza, tonight.

Had she not gotten a bogus two-year PED suspension that eventually got overturned, Ribas would already be in the title picture. She’s the next big thing in the women’s division.

Rest of the Main Card

The rest of the card isn’t super inspiring although there’s the potential (as always) for some crazy finishes on the prelims.

Don’t see Jessica Eye/Jojo Calderwood (-120) being very exciting although the bad blood makes it interesting. Not sure that Jessica Eye (+100) has fully recovered mentally from the vicious headkick knockout she suffered at the hands of Valentina and she has a nagging elbow injury that could hinder her.

The same thing goes for Julianna Pena/Sarah McMann (-125) as far as exactment level/chance of a crazy finish goes but I see Pena (+105) grinding out a fairly decisive decision. She’s worth a look at a play as I feel the oddsmakers have the wrong fighter favored.

Undercard

As far as the undercard goes, your best potential for a wild finish should come in the Khalil Roundtree (-380)/Marcin Prachnio bout. One of them will get KO’d and I think Prachnio actually has a solid chance of pulling out a shock upset (+300 dog) via knockout as he’s on a three-fight skid and needs to do something special if he wants to hang around the UFC.

Roundtree simply isn’t good enough to deserve to be almost a 4:1 favorite against anyone in the UFC as he’s been finished in the first round in 2/3 fights himself.

Although Prachnio has been finished in all three of those consecutive losses, they came against pretty stiff competition and was very successful in his ONE championship days.

Long Island’s own Matt Frevola is pretty significantly underpriced at +500 and is worth a look at that number.

Arman Tsarukyan (-700) is riding a significant amount (of mostly unwarranted) hype heading into this one and doesn’t deserve to be a 7:1 favorite here.

Fan favorite Brad Tavaras (+100) Antônio Carlos Junior (-120) should be a back-and-forth battle that I believe will end up going to decision but it’s really a coin flip.

Both fighters are relatively young, but extremely seasoned veterans that have fought the majority of their careers in the UFC so their records aren’t a great indicator of how high-quality they truly are.

If you’re going to play something here, Carlos Júnior by submission at +340 as he’s a high-level BJJ black belt with 8 career submissions under his belt.

Here are my personal plays for the night:

(Chuck Vitolo’s YTD record: 0-0)

• Conor McGregor +Amanda Ribas parlay to win (-145) for 3 units

• Conor McGregor by decision (+650) for .5 units

• Dan Hooker (-120) for 2.5 units

• Amanda Ribas by sub (+280) for 1 units

• Julianna Pena (+108) for 1 unit

(My max bets are 5 units and all odds are courtesy of Fanduel Sportsbook)

UFC 257 Preview: Dan Hooker – Michael Chandler

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Tomorrow night at UFC 257, we have another incredible lightweight fight in the co-main event of the evening. Dan Hooker (20-9) will be tasked with welcoming Michael Chandler (21-5) to the UFC.

Chandler is the former Bellator lightweight champion and he’s been widely considered to be one of the best lightweights in the world for a long time. After spending ten years with Bellator, Chandler made the jump to the UFC in 2020.

Chandler was actually introduced to the UFC audience as the backup for the Khabib Nurmagomedov – Justin Gaethje fight. He traveled to Fight Island and made weight, but ultimately didn’t compete.

This will be Chandler’s first true action in the UFC. Outside of a doctor stoppage due to a leg injury, Chandler has only lost once since 2015. He comes into the fight tomorrow night riding a two-fight first round knockout streak.

However, Chandler is jumping right into the deep end of the pool. Dan Hooker completely turned his career around when he moved up to 155 pounds. After struggling for years at 145, Hooker moved up and it’s changed everything.

Since moving to lightweight, Dan Hooker has only lost twice. Those two losses came against Edson Barboza and Dustin Poirier. However, he’s picked up wins over Paul Felder, Al Iaquinta, and Gilbert Burns.

UFC 257 Prediction

When it comes to my UFC 257 prediction, it’s all going to come down to the grappling. Yes, Michael Chandler has two first round knockouts in his last two fights. However, I don’t believe he wants to purely stand and trade with Dan Hooker.

Hooker is a sniper on the feet and enjoys a big reach advantage in this fight. For Michael Chandler, he’s going to have to land some takedowns or get some control in this one if he wants to win. If it becomes just a standup fight, I think he’ll get picked apart over three rounds.

That said, Chandler does have the power and speed to land one massive shot on the feet. For Dan Hooker, he needs to keep this fight standing and he needs to keep this fight at range. If he does that, he’ll be able to spoil Chandler’s UFC debut.

This is a fight where I see both men enjoying some success. I think Hooker is going to land some big shots, and I also believe that Michael Chandler is going to land a couple of takedowns as well as land on the feet. So who walks away with their hand raised?

I’m not confident in this pick at all, but I’m leaning towards Michael Chandler. If this fight was five rounds, I’d probably lean towards Hooker because I’ve seen Chandler get tired, but in three rounds, I think he’ll use his wrestling to score enough points to win two of the rounds.

That said, if Dan Hooker is able to keep this standing, I could easily see him picking Chandler apart on the feet. I wouldn’t put money on this pick, but Chandler will win his UFC debut in a very close fight.

Prediction: Michael Chandler by Split Decision

Khabib Nurmagomedov will come back if someone does something special at UFC 257

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Back in October after UFC 254, lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0) laid down his gloves and retired. It had been an incredibly tough 2020 for Khabib in which he lost his father to a battle with COVID-19. 

Khabib had promised his mother before the Justin Gaethje fight that he would retire after UFC 254. However, Dana White has been holding out hope that Khabib Nurmagomedov would change his mind and come back for one more fight. 

The original plan for Khabib was to try and retire from the UFC at 30-0. That was his father’s plan, but Khabib admitted that he didn’t want to go on without his father in his corner. Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov was the lead trainer for his son Khabib.

There is no questioning that Khabib Nurmagomedov is the best lightweight in the world. He’s an absolute animal who just appears to be getting better every time we see him. From a fighting perspective, it would be a shame to never see Khabib in the UFC again.

That is where Dana White has been coming from in wanting him to fight. Well, yesterday White and Khabib had their much anticipated meeting about Khabib’s future. After the first fight on the main card at UFC Fight Island 7, White announced Khabib’s decision.

The decision’s impact on the UFC lightweight division

White told Jon Anik that Khabib is going to wait until after UFC 257 to make a final decision. Khabib is not ready to close the door on his fighting future, however, he’s not ready to commit to a comeback just yet.

White said that Khabib will be watching next Saturday and if he feels that someone does something special, he’ll think about coming back to defend his UFC title. However, if nothing excites him, he won’t hold up the division and he will give up the title.

The Conor McGregor (22-4) rematch is what the UFC wants to do. However, McGregor has to get by Dustin Poirier first. For now, the decision really didn’t give us anything new. We know that Khabib is not fully committed to retirement, but at the same time, he’s not committed to coming back yet.