When former Bellator champion Michael Chandler signed with the UFC, he immediately caught the attention of many of top-ranked lightweights, including his upcoming opponent, Dan Hooker.
Truth be told, Hooker wasn’t very familiar with Chandler’s body of work. But he definitely took notice when the UFC named him as the backup fighter to serve as a potential replacement for the UFC 254 main event between lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje.
“I knew the UFC had signed him, and I can’t say I cared that much until they had him as the backup for the title fight,” Hooker said in an interview with MMA Fighting.