UFC 257 will potentially shape the future of the lightweight division, thanks to top-level main and co-main events.
With current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov reportedly provoking a possible return to action based on the impressive performance of one of four fighters – Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler and Dan Hooker – the stakes are even higher.
While Chandler and Hooker are focused on each other, it is impossible to ignore the magnitude of the main event. McGregor will make his first UFC appearance in a year, while Poirier seeks revenge after suffering an unbalanced defeat for the Irish star at his previous meeting in 2014.
When it comes to the real showdown, Chandler sees time as the key to Poirier’s success because McGregor is an incredibly fast starter, the former interim lightweight champion needs to find a way to survive the first few rounds and then he can start applying some punishment from Himself.
“I say in the last few rounds, Conor is going to have his hands full with Dustin’s ability to resist damage, his punching curls, his volume and the pressure he can put on Conor with a much sharper striking than [Nate] Diaz, ”said Chandler when speaking to MMA Fighting. “We saw this in many other fights with Diaz, where Diaz was able to take down Conor and hit big shots, but Poirier has a lot more power, a much more significant accuracy than a guy like Diaz. It will be interesting.
“If Poirier can handle these first two rounds, the storm that is Conor McGregor in those first two rounds will be a very interesting fight.”
Hooker really brings firsthand knowledge of what it’s like to spend five rounds in the octagon with Poirier after they went to battle last June.
While losing the score, Hooker threw Poirier’s best punches and responded with some of his own. After 25 minutes of war with Poirier, Hooker says it would be an absolute mistake to discount his ability to thwart McGregor’s advances, even in the first rounds.
“I give him a good chance,” said Hooker of Poirier defeating McGregor. “I think a lot has changed, especially in Dustin Poirier’s game since that first fight. I feel like it has developed a lot. He’s the most durable guy. He’s the most durable guy in the category. Your cardio and gas tank are at another level.
“This is an aspect of the fight where I could see him getting the best out of McGregor just with the pace he pushes and the pressure he can put.”
Despite all the praise on Poirier’s shoulders before the rematch, it is still difficult for Chandler or Hooker to pull the trigger and actually choose him to beat McGregor.
In fact, Hooker believes McGregor really is the lightweight division class if Nurmagomedov decides not to return and remains retired.
“In my opinion, skill to skill, technique to technique, I feel like Conor McGregor’s most talented and technically solid fighter in the division with the retired champion,” said Hooker.
Chandler said almost the same, adding that his interest in the fight is definitely more important if Nurmagomedov remains retired and the UFC needs to crown a new lightweight champion.
“If I bet, I still have to bet on Conor,” said Chandler. “Just because he has a great aura about him. A week of fighting Conor and getting ready to fight Conor on the terms of Conor, Conor’s hype, entering the cage against Conor, this is his wheelhouse. Even the first time Poirier did this, it was nowhere near what it is now.
“The mystique of the combat sports icon that Conor McGregor is and the aura he brings to that UFC octagon. Let’s see if he can handle these first two rounds, we’ll have a very good fight at the end of the second round and in the third round, in the fourth and fifth round. I’ll get some popcorn and watch it next to the cage and hope to fight the winner. “