UFC 257

UFC booking Dan Hooker – Michael Chandler (Report)

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There are reports out this evening that are saying the UFC has booked a lightweight contest between Michael Chandler (21-5) and Dan Hooker (20-9). The news was first reported by Stuff, a media outlet in New Zealand. The bout will take place at UFC 257.

Michael Chandler posted on social media a couple of weeks ago that he was entering camp for his UFC debut. However, he didn’t say who he’d be facing. The speculation was that he’d be facing Justin Gaethje in his debut.

Dana White even alluded to that potential matchup in the last couple of weeks. However, Dan Hooker also came out last week and said that he was in training camp for his next UFC fight.

The rumors started running on if Hooker would be facing off against Chandler. Assuming this report holds true, we now know that Dan Hooker will be the lightweight responsible for welcoming Michael Chandler to the UFC.

Hooker is coming off of a loss to Dustin Poirier back in June. That loss snapped a three-fight win streak for Hooker. He will enter the cage on January 23rd currently ranked as the sixth best lightweight in the world.

UFC debut for Michael Chandler

Michael Chandler will be making his anticipated UFC debut in January. As mentioned above, we knew that Chandler would be making his debut likely at UFC 257. However, we had been missing the opponent.

Dan Hooker is a very interesting matchup for Michael Chandler. Chandler will enter the octagon having gone 5-1 in his last six fights with the lone loss coming to Patricio Pitbull in May of last year.

UFC 257 is proving to be a pivotal night for the lightweight division. Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier are headlining the card and Chandler – Hooker is expected to be the co-main event of the evening.

There has been rumblings that the McGregor – Poirier fight could be for a title if Khabib Nurmagomedov sticks to his retirement. However, nothing is official as of yet. Dana White is expected to meet with the lightweight champion in a few weeks.

After dominating Tony Ferguson at UFC 256, what’s next for Charles Oliveira?

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This past Saturday evening in the co-main event of UFC 256, Charles Oliveira (30-8, 1 NC) took on Tony Ferguson (25-5). Ferguson was looking to bounce back after his last loss while Oliveira was looking to continue his winning streak.

Heading into UFC 256, Oliveira had won seven fights in a row. However, it was the way he won those seven fights which stood out. Oliveira had finished all seven of his opponents leading into UFC 256.

Saturday night was the biggest test in the career of Charles Oliveira. With Oliveira, the questions never surrounded his talent. However, there had been times in his career where he came up short in the big fights.

Granted, a majority of those opportunities happened at featherweight. Oliveira is no longer depleting himself to make 145 pounds. Fighting at lightweight has really allowed Charles Oliveira to reach his prime inside the octagon.

That really showed at UFC 256. Oliveira completely dominated the former interim lightweight champion and nearly finished him in the first round. With the dominant victory, Oliveira made a huge leap in the rankings. 

What’s next after UFC 256?

With his victory at UFC 256, Oliveira went from seventh to third in the lightweight division. The only contenders ranked ahead of him at the moment are Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje.

Poirier is scheduled to face Conor McGregor at UFC 257. Justin Gaethje is being rumored to face Michael Chandler in the co-main event of that card. Conventional wisdom said the winners of those two fights would face off for the title if Khabib Nurmagomedov stays retired.

If that happens, what’s next for Charles Oliveira? This is a tough question to answer at the moment. On one hand, Oliveira definitely deserves to be in the conversation for the next UFC title shot.

However, if the promotion goes with this four man style tournament, that leaves Oliveira as the odd man out. For the sake of this article, let’s say that the promotion books those four men up at UFC 257.

If the winners come out unscathed, I could see the UFC giving Oliveira the loser of one of the fights. However, if one of the winners is going to be out for some time, the promotion could give Oliveira a title shot against the other winner.

There are a few options for the promotion and their third ranked lightweight. I think no matter what, Oliveira will either be fighting for the title in his next fight or he will be fighting in a title eliminator.

UFC: Michael Chandler is in camp, but who is he fighting?

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Michael Chandler

Earlier this year, the UFC made headlines when they signed top lightweight, Michael Chandler (21-5). Chandler had been a Bellator champion on a number of occasions. He was always considered to be one of the best in the world.

However, with him fighting outside the UFC, there have always been questions on just how good he is. Chandler wanted to prove himself and see for himself just how good he is which is why he took a deal with the UFC.

He recently stated the the UFC was not offering him the most money. However, they provided the best competition which is what meant the most to Chandler. Originally, Chandler was supposed to make his debut at UFC 254 against either Tony Ferguson or Dustin Poirier.

The UFC tried to make a fight between Ferguson and Poirier, but after that fell through, they tried booking either against Chandler. A fight never materialized between Chandler and either of those top contenders.

Instead, Chandler still flew out to Fight Island, but as the backup for the UFC 254 main event. Chandler said it was his way of showing the UFC and the world that he is willing to take anything that they throw at him.

Recently, Chandler posted on Instagram that he was starting up his fight camp. He has aspirations to fight on the UFC 257 card which features the rematch between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. So, who is Chandler training for?

Chandler at UFC 257?

Based on Michael Chandler being in camp, the safe assumption is that the plan is for Chandler to fight in January. With that in mind, there are a couple of potential opponents for Chandler to face at UFC 257.

The front-runner in my opinion is Justin Gaethje (22-3). Gaethje is the top ranked lightweight in the UFC and the former interim champion. Gaethje said he needs to get a win before fighting for the title again, and Chandler needs an opponent.

Chandler has openly expressed his desire to fight Justin Gaethje. Another opportunity would be Dan Hooker (20-9). Hooker is currently ranked fifth in the division and he said that he wanted to send Chandler back to the B-Leagues.

The UFC could also turnaround either Tony Ferguson or Charles Oliveira if one of them wins without taking too much damage this weekend. No matter what, Chandler’s first opponent will be a top five lightweight. We should know sooner than later who that opponent is.

UFC books Amanda Ribas – Marina Rodriguez

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Yesterday we got the news that Michelle Waterson was having to pull out of UFC 257. She was expected to take on rising contender, Amanda Ribas (10-1) in a fight that many fans were looking forward to.

The gut feeling was that the promotion was going to keep Ribas on UFC 257 and search for a new opponent. Well, it didn’t take long for the UFC to find a willing fighter and book another fight for Amanda Ribas.

MMA Fighting was first to report that Ribas will now be taking on Marina Rodriguez (12-1-2) at UFC 257. Rodriguez is currently ranked eighth in the UFC’s strawweight rankings. For the record, Waterson is ranked seventh.

This is a great switch from the promotion who is trying to build up Ribas. They were able to quickly get her another opponent who is ranked in virtually the same position as her previous opponent.

Since making her UFC debut back in 2018, Rodriguez is 2-2-1. A mixed bag of results, but she’s been taking on some top competition since her appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series.

Rodriguez suffered her first career defeat back in July when she lost to former champion, Carla Esparza, by split decision. Prior to that, she had fought to a draw with top flyweight contender and former strawweight, Cynthia Calvillo.

UFC 257 Strawweight Matchup

This is a fantastic matchup pairing together top UFC strawweights. Again, the promotion did a fantastic job of rebooking Ribas and giving her a top ten contender. Both of these ladies show so much promise in their careers.

You get the feeling that the UFC is going to really push Amanda Ribas. She’s become a favorite of the promotion and she’s ran through her UFC competition so far. Notably holding wins over Mackenzie Dern and Paige VanZant.

Ribas will enter the cage in January as the ninth ranked strawweight in the UFC. If she’s able to pickup the victory in January, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the promotion try to move her up against a top five opponent next.

UFC: Michelle Waterson – Amanda Ribas is off

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A highly anticipated UFC strawweight matchup is off. MMA Fighting was first to report that the strawweight clash between Michelle Waterson (18-8) and Amanda Ribas (10-1) has been called off.

Waterson is the one who had to pull out of the matchup. Reasons have not been given as to why the fight is off. The strawweight fight was scheduled to take place on the main card of UFC 257, headlined by Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.

Waterson was looking to pickup her second straight win in the UFC. The Karate Hottie has been on a journey where she is attempting to become the first UFC champion that’s a mom.

She’s gotten close to a title shot a couple of times. However, she’s faltered when she had to go up against the elite of the UFC‘s strawweight division. She just picked up a big win over Angela Hill back in September. That win snapped a two-fight losing streak.

This is the second straight UFC fight that has fallen out for Amanda Ribas. Originally, Ribas was supposed to take on Carla Esparza at UFC 256, however, that fight ultimately fell through which led to the Waterson fight.

The UFC’s plan

At this time there is no word on what the UFC is planning on doing. With the event being more than a month away, the likely scenario is that the promotion will move to make another fight for Amanda Ribas.

Ribas is becoming a star in the strawweight division. Between her personality and her performances inside the octagon, she’s becoming a bright spot at strawweight. Ribas last competed at UFC 251 where she submitted Paige VanZant.

Ribas is undefeated since joining the UFC back in June of 2019. Most notably, Ribas is the only fighter to have defeated Mackenzie Dern. She won that fight by unanimous decision last October. Again, I think the promotion is going to try and keep Ribas on the card as of now.

UFC Matchmaker: Justin Gaethje – Michael Chandler

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There is so much movement and so many exciting things happening in the UFC‘s lightweight division. Just this past week, we saw the Conor McGregor – Dustin Poirier rematch made official and Tony Ferguson will be fighting Charles Oliveira. 

Both of those are insane matchups for fight fans. That being said, there are even more exciting matchups on the horizon for the UFC‘s lightweight division. The biggest MMA signing in 2020 had to be Michael Chandler signing with the UFC.

The former three time Bellator lightweight champion will finally get the chance to prove himself amongst the elite. However, the promotion has not been able to find Chandler an opponent quite yet.

Chandler was the backup for UFC 254 when Justin Gaethje took on Khabib Nurmagomedov. That night, Nurmagomedov ran through Gaethje to retain his UFC lightweight championship then announced his retirement. Although, his retirement seems to be up in the air.

Justin Gaethje wanted to get right back into the swing of things after the loss. He didn’t take much damage and he was itching to get back into the cage. Gaethje needs an opponent and Michael Chandler still isn’t booked. You see where I’m going with this?

Will the UFC book it?

I think given the current landscape, it makes all the sense in the world to have Justin Gaethje (22-3) fight Michael Chandler (21-5). It’s an excellent stylistic matchup for fans and both guys need a fight.

Chandler was trying to fight Tony Ferguson at UFC 257 when McGregor takes on Poirier. However, Ferguson was adamant about fighting in 2020 which is how he landed on the Charles Oliveira fight.

By all accounts, Chandler wants to make his UFC debut in January. Justin Gaethje is wanting to get back into the cage so it makes sense to pair the two. The other option for either man would be Dan Hooker.

Unfortunately for Hooker, he appears to be the odd man out at the moment. Ariel Helwani said yesterday that it appears that Michael Chandler might have an opponent for UFC 257. Hooker has been calling for a fight with Gaethje while we haven’t heard much from the former interim champion.

My guess is that the promotion is moving to book Gaethje – Chandler. In theory, the winner of that fight would fight the winner of the McGregor – Poirier fight sometime next summer. If Khabib is truly done, the winners would face for the undisputed UFC lightweight championship.

In this scenario the two odd men out would be whoever wins between Ferguson – Oliveira and Dan Hooker. Given the timelines, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the UFC book those two against each other sometime in the spring.

UFC: Dana White says that Khabib Nurmagomedov will fight again

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In January, Conor McGregor (22-4) and Dustin Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) are expected to headline UFC 257. The card will take place on January 23rd and it will be a massive fight for the UFC‘s lightweight division.

Many have been speculating on what will be on the line that night. Will the winner earn a shot at the lightweight championship, or will the winner become the UFC‘s lightweight champion.

The reason that there’s questions is due to current champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0). Nurmagomedov stormed through Justin Gaethje last month at UFC 254 to successfully defend his lightweight crown.

After the fight was over, Khabib laid his gloves in the center of the cage and said that he was retiring. However, UFC President, Dana White, has been saying recently that he doesn’t think Nurmagomedov might be retiring.

With Nurmagomedov retired, it would make sense for the UFC to put up the lightweight title for the McGregor – Poirier fight. However, last night, Dana White doubled down and said that there would be no title on the line on January 23rd.

UFC’s Lightweight Situation

When asked about the title and the January PPV, White told the media, “No. Khabib’s gonna fight. I believe he’s gonna fight. It’s (UFC 257) not for the title.” White shut down the notion that McGregor and Poirier would determine the lightweight champion.

If that holds true, there are a lot of questions surrounding what will happen with Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov’s father, who passed away this year, wanted him to retire at 30-0. However, his father had one fight in mind for that final fight.

It’s been said that Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov wanted Khabib to fight Georges St. Pierre in his final fight. A fight between those two could determine who is the greatest mixed martial artist of all time.

The former two-division world champion, GSP, has said that he is interested in fighting Khabib. There is so much respect there, but this would be a legacy matchup for both men.

If I had to guess, I think we are going to see the following situation play out. McGregor and Poirier will fight in January with Michael Chandler facing Tony Ferguson in the co-main event of the evening.

The winner of those two fights will fight each other. While that mini tournament is going on, Khabib Nurmagomedov will fight Georges St. Pierre at lightweight to determine the greatest fighter of all time.

Either Khabib will retire at 30-0 or GSP will become the first fighter in history to have captured titles in three weight classes. A very fluid but fun situation in the UFC‘s lightweight division at the moment.

UFC: Michael Chandler gives a counter offer to Tony Ferguson

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Michael Chandler

It’s a very interesting time in the UFC‘s lightweight division. Khabib Nurmagomedov might or might not be retired. Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier are supposed to fight, but the deal still isn’t signed.

On top of that, Michael Chandler and Tony Ferguson are calling each other out, but a fight hasn’t been made. The UFC is dealing with several interesting personalities and situations trying to get fights booked.

Just this week, Tony Ferguson called out Michael Chandler for a fight at UFC 256 in December. That card has had some major blows dealt to it and as a result, Ferguson called for a co-main event slot against Michael Chandler.

The UFC previously had offered Chandler to Ferguson back in October. However, Ferguson was not interested in taking the fight against Chandler. A couple of months later and Ferguson has changed his tune about the potential matchup.

However, there’s one problem to all of this. Michael Chandler won’t be ready to fight Ferguson next month. After UFC 254, Chandler took a little break after back-to-back camps, and he would like a full camp to prepare for El Cucuy.

UFC 257 Co-Main?

“There is a zero percent chance I’ll fight Tony Ferguson in December. Tony, you had the opportunity to fight me in October and you said no. You didn’t bring up fighting in December until it was way past the 11th hour. Let’s be realist and sign up for January 23,” Chandler told ESPN.

Right now, UFC 257 is scheduled for January 23rd and the main event is supposed to be McGregor – Poirier. In all likelyhood, that fight is going to get finalized sooner rather than later.

The card currently has no co-main event, but Chandler sees it as the perfect opportunity for the matchup. These two matchups would line up perfectly for the UFC lightweight tournament that Chandler proposed back at UFC 254.

This is a very interesting situation and I’m very curious to see how it plays out. Chandler and Ferguson is the fight to make, I just hope that egos and contracts don’t get in the way of this matchup.

Conor McGregor – Dustin Poirier official for UFC 257

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Conor McGregor, UFC

The wait and the negotiations are finally over. The UFC has finally come to terms with both fighters and the rematch that the world is waiting on is booked. Per MMA Fighting, Dustin Poirier (26-6, 1 NC) has agreed to terms and the rematch with Conor McGregor (22-4) is on.

The two men will headline UFC 257 that will take place on January 23rd. The date was created specifically for the McGregor – Poirier rematch, but there’s been doubts around the fight over the past week. In fact, there’s been talk the UFC might pivot from Poirier.

Yesterday, it was reported that the UFC was considering moving on from Poirier to book McGregor against Justin Gaethje. This was looked at as a tactic to put a little pressure on The Diamond who had been at odds with UFC brass.

Poirier was originally supposed to face Tony Ferguson back in October. However, that fight fell apart due to financial negotiations. Then, the McGregor – Poirier rematch started picking up steam, but it wasn’t smooth sailing in getting the fight booked.

McGregor had agreed to terms with the promotion, but the UFC was still having trouble with Poirier. This promoted the promotion to start working on alternative plans with Justin Gaethje. We don’t know which side ultimately caved, but the fight is now official.

UFC 257

Conor McGregor last fought at UFC 246 in January of this year. After the victory, McGregor openly talked about his desire to remain active in his MMA career. He wanted a 2020 season that would culminate with him winning the lightweight championship again.

However, the pandemic through everything off. McGregor ended up retiring and having a public spat with UFC President Dana White. McGregor challenged Dustin Poirier to a fight for charity that had nothing to do with the UFC following Poirier’s struggles with the promotion.

Both men agreed, but that prompted the UFC to get to work on booking the fight. It wasn’t easy, but now it is official. These two men fought at featherweight when McGregor was on the rise in his career. Poirier is far better now, but you could make the same argument for McGregor.

The rematch should be a lot of fun and it will be a massive event for the UFC‘s lightweight division.

UFC targeting Michelle Waterson – Amanda Ribas

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It looks like UFC 257 is going to be getting a fun one in the women’s strawweight division. Per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, the promotion is close to finalizing a matchup between two top ten strawweights as Michelle Waterson (18-8) will take on Amanda Ribas (10-1).

This one should be a really fun matchup for UFC fans. The Karate Hottie is coming off of a win in her last fight against Angela Hill. The fight was razor close at UFC Vegas 10, but in the end, Waterson was able to pull out the victory by split decision.

Since 2018, Waterson has only lost twice in the UFC. Both of those fights were against former champions, and I believe that she won the fight against Carla Esparza. Waterson is continuing her journey to try to become the first “Mom Champ” in the UFC.

If she is able to pull out the victory on January 23rd, she will be one step closer to fighting for UFC gold. However, her opponent is no cake walk. In fact, I wouldn’t be shocked if Ribas entered the cage on January 23rd as the betting favorite.

UFC 257 gets a good one

Ribas has stormed onto the UFC over the last 16 months. She’s 4-0 so far in her career with the UFC. In her last fight, she was able to defeat Paige VanZant by first round armbar at UFC 251. However, it was her performance against Mackenzie Dern which raised eyebrows.

Dern was being touted as a top prospect in the strawweight division. However, she was not able to get past Ribas. Ribas controlled their fight and went on to capture the decision victory handing Dern the only loss of her professional career.

Whoever wins at UFC 257 will have made a big statement to the rest of the division. If one of these ladies is able to put on an incredible performance, they could be only a fight or two away from getting a shot at the title.