Chandler's farewell: Dan Hooker campaigns for fight against Conor McGregor

Dan Hooker believes Conor McGregor has more to gain from a fight against him than Michael Chandler.

McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) was originally scheduled to return against Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC), but after withdrawing from the UFC 303 booking in June, Chandler decided to move on. He will rematch Charles Oliveira in the co-main event of UFC 309 on November 16 in New York.

Chandler booking another fight confused McGregor, as “The Notorious” still sees Chandler as a possibility for his comeback fight. However, Hooker (24-12 MMA, 14-8 UFC) believes Chandler no longer makes sense for McGregor. “The Hangman” entered the UFC's top five lightweight rankings with a win over Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305.

“He's got a fight,” Hooker told Submission Radio of McGregor. “I know Conor is hungry for a fight and wants to fight someone that he can get something from and that makes a lot of sense. So I feel like if Chandler just sits there and waits and doesn't stay active, he's kind of losing. What's the point of him beating Chandler? He knocks out Michael Chandler in the first round, Conor McGregor doesn't even make the top five with that performance.”

Hooker is confused that Chandler is rematching Oliveira (34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC). He understands Chandler's motivation to avenge his title loss in 2021, but doesn't see much incentive for Oliveira.

He also announced big news for himself.

“I understand why they organized this fight,” Hooker said. “It's a big fight for the division. But I don't know – it's a weird fight. I tried to justify the fight in some way, but no, it's just a weird fight. Yeah, maybe that's because I'm up to something too. Maybe I'm up to something too, but it's got to be good if I don't say anything.”

“I understand why Chandler wants the fight. If he beats Oliveira, the UFC has obviously promised him a title shot, I'm sure of that. I'm not sure what Charles will get out of it. At our level, any man is capable of being in the top 5 or 6 in the division. In all these fights, it's a bit of a matter of luck.”