Michael Chandler previews his UFC debut vs. Dan Hooker, breaks down McGregor-Poirier

Former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler tells Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole he's ready for the bright lights of the UFC as he makes his promotional debut against Dan Hooker on Saturday, Jan. 23 at UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi.

Video Transcript

KEVIN IOLE: Hey, folks. I am Kevin Iole, and right now I am with one of the newest fighters in the UFC. This is his UFC debut, but it's not the first time he was almost on a UFC card. I'm with the former Bellator champion Mike Chandler. On Saturday, January 23 he will be fighting Dan Hooker in what should be an incredible fight on Fight Island as part of UFC 257. Mike, how's it going, pal?

MIKE CHANDLER: I'm doing good. I am in my quarantine hotel in Las Vegas. We actually just got out of quarantine about an hour or so ago, so we can roam about the hotel as long as we have our mask on and stuff. And then tonight at 3:00 AM we have to meet at the airport. 6:00 AM flight, 16 hours to Abu Dhabi to sit in a hotel room for two more days. So the age of the coronavirus, fighting in the coronavirus is upon us, and it's still heavily upon us, so.

KEVIN IOLE: Everybody loves the life of a fighter, right, the glamorous life of a fighter.

MIKE CHANDLER: I know. They have no idea how many hotel rooms we sit in and grocery stores and gyms. That's about it.

KEVIN IOLE: Everybody, you know, tells me, hey, I wish I had your job. And I said, yeah, you're in the stands drinking a beer and high fiving and everything, and I'm sitting there working and on planes and going all over the place. So, you know--

MIKE CHANDLER: Exactly.

KEVIN IOLE: --a lot of good about it but not always perfect.

MIKE CHANDLER: Exactly.

KEVIN IOLE: But anyways, you know, this is your first appearance-- official appearance on a UFC card. Obviously on the Khabib card in October you trained to be a backup. What was that experience like? Before we get into Dan Hooker, what was that like? You're training for a fight that you're not sure you're going to get. You know, when you look back on it, was it a little strange experience?

MIKE CHANDLER: Yeah, it was a little bit-- I wouldn't call it strange. It was just different, you know? And it was definitely-- it was definitely just interesting because not only did I-- not only was I the backup, but I knew there was probably a slim chance. You know, for me to have-- for me to actually step into that octagon, it would have been some bad luck that would had to befall the UFC, Khabib, or Gaethje, or, you know, a combination of all three.

So the chances of it happening I knew were still slim, but I wanted to be a guy who signed with the organization and said yes. I said yes to three things. I said yes to Poirier. I said yes to Ferguson. And then when those fights kind of fell through, I said yes to being a backup because the UFC, especially in the age of the coronavirus, needs a backup fight, a backup lightweight bout on that card or a lightweight fighter ready to step in, and I wanted to be that guy.

So it was interesting. The toughest part was knowing I probably wasn't going to fight and being away from my family and training and putting my body through it because a lot of people think, oh, well, all he did was just make weight.

KEVIN IOLE: Right.

MIKE CHANDLER: But, yeah, I made weight, but in order to make weight to go from 187 down to 155, you know, I've got to go, you know, eight solid weeks of dieting and training. So it's not like I just showed up and stepped on a scale. So it was an interesting experience to say the least, but it gave me a great opportunity to right away right out of the gate show who I was to the UFC brass.

KEVIN IOLE: What-- your signing was unusual. The UFC doesn't usually sign guys like you, guys that are in their prime that are considered, you know, at the top. You know, UFC usually brings guys in and develops them, and then, you know, hey, when they're done with them, they sign with Bellator, right? It's not often that it goes the other way. What have you found as you've come over to the UFC that surprised when you look at it from the other side?

And the second part of that question, Mike, is I saw some fighters kind of chirping about you a little bit. Why is he getting this special treatment? et cetera, et cetera. And I wonder if that got back to you and how you handled that.

MIKE CHANDLER: You know, that is to be expected, I guess. But, yeah, I mean, I will say I am extremely thrilled with how the UFC has handled my signing, how they have handled me thus far, how they have taken care of me, how they have, you know, maybe gotten behind me or pushed me. But I think it's also just a testament to the hard work and the body of work, the resume that I have built over the last-- this is my 12th year of fighting, you know. I may be new to the UFC, but I'm not new to the sport, like you said in your intro.

I think the differences are big. The differences are massive. You know, coming over here, seeing the way the UFC operates, the high level at which every single one of these employees that make up every single one of these UFC departments-- the level at which they all operate, the speed in which they move, the well-oiled machine that is the UFC. You understand why it's one of the biggest sports franchises on the entire planet. You understand right away. The differences are clear and evident right away.

But so far it's been great, and I think it's, you know, what you alluded to as well. Me getting some kind of treatment might have definitely worked against me as me coming over. I think other guys have said no to fighting me because of, you know, different perceptions of what they think of ways that I'm being treated or the position that I'm being put in right away. I get it.

And I do understand from a fan's perspective, I didn't come in and stomp my feet and slam my fist and start demanding things right away. I just said, hey, give me the best opportunity you possibly can. They wanted to give me a top-five guy right away. Dana wanted to throw me into that fire right away with a top-five guy, and that's what they've tried to work on since day one. They've held true to their word, and here we are top-five guy on the biggest comain event, the biggest card of the year. So I couldn't be happier for the opportunity.

KEVIN IOLE: You know, you're the third that I can recall-- maybe there's more, but I think you're the third former Bellator lightweight champion that has come the UFC. You know, Will Brooks did it, Eddie Alvarez, who you had a couple of incredible fights with, did it.

And I think, you know, mixed success. You know, Eddie won the championship and, you know, was in some of the great fights. You know, Will maybe didn't perform as well as he did in Bellator and people thought he might have done in the UFC. And I'm wondering, first of all, are you surprised by-- like, let's talk specifically Will. You knew him from Bellator very well. Were you surprised he didn't have more success in his UFC run when he went over?

MIKE CHANDLER: I was, actually. I was surprised, and I'd be lying if I didn't say I was kind of rooting for him, even though he and I had our tiffs. But I wanted to see him do well. I wanted to-- you know, if there's ever a common opponent that you have that goes over to the UFC, you know, or moves up to a different organization, you want to see them do well.

I think he got some tough match-ups right out of the gate. You know, I think even when you talk about he and my fights-- you know, Will beat me, but a lot of it was stylistic. Do I think I'm a better fighter than him and do I think I beat him 9 times out of 10 if I have the right game plan if I'm where I need to be mentally, physically, and spiritually? You know, he caught me on, A, a bad night the first time and then, B, a bad season of my life the second time just because of the training scenario I was in, where I was mentally, physically, and spiritually.

So styles make fights. You know, you've got a guy like Eddie who came in. He lost to Cowboy right away and then was able to put together a string of wins and get that title, and I think that's what's great about mixed martial arts. The fights can end at any moment. That's why people are always on their edge of their seat. Styles make fights.

I mean, trust me. I've seen the comparisons to Will Brooks because Will Brooks beat me. Everybody says, well, Will Brooks had a bad UFC career, so A plus B equals C and Michael Chandler is going to have a bad run in the UFC. But I'm five, six years more mature, five, six years better. I'm a much more mature, much more happier, healthier, and harder-to-kill version of myself. So I'm excited to go out there and prove that on January 23.

KEVIN IOLE: You know, I've watched your career with great interest and loved so many of your fights and what you've done. I guess if there's a criticism of you it's that you get hit a lot, right? I mean, you're a wrestler that can control where the fight goes, and a lot of times, you know, you get in these stand-up wars and you're getting cracks. And against Dan Hooker, you know, he's one of the best in the world, as he proved against Dustin Poirier his last time out. You know, you're fighting a guy that is accurate and hits hard.

So let's get your response to two things. You know, what do you say to people who say your striking defense lacking, and how do you deal with it? I mean, do you have a wrestling-heavy style against Hooker, or do you fight the same way that you fought everybody else?

MIKE CHANDLER: I'll probably-- I'm probably going to fight the same way I fight everyone else, foot on the gas, coming forward, putting pressure on him, making him feel my power early, and then mixing it up-- touching the legs which opens up the head, touching the head, which opens up the legs. Go to the body. I mean, just make it a full-fledged, full-blown mixed-martial-arts competition, you know, from every aspect of this sport. From bell to bell, as soon as that octagon door closes, we get after it, you know?

I look forward to facing him. He is-- he does have some great attributes. He does have a lot of skill. But that's what I-- Kevin, that's why I signed with UFC. You know, as you've said, you've watched my career for a long time. I was in a very comfortable, very secure, much easier life just six months ago, and I had a decision to make. Do I want to continue with the status quo, continue doing what I was doing, or do I want to ramp it up? Do I want to put myself in a leap-of-faith situation, you know, and to put myself on a platform to know that someday when I lay my head on the pillow as a retired fighter that I did everything that I possibly could to fight the best guys in the entire world to just find out who I truly was?

And a fight against Dan Hooker scares me a little bit. It excites me. It gets me-- gets me pumped up. I'm the underdog. I don't think I've been the underdog since 2011, essentially. Even when I-- as we talked about, even when I lost to Will Brooks, I still came back as a favorite, I believe, just because a lot of people thought it could have went either way.

So this is the first time since 2011 that I've been an underdog. So put yourself-- having nothing to lose and everything to gain is a beautiful thing in this sport, and that's right where I'm at. And when that octagon door closes, I get to go out there and just be free, live free, and then paint the masterpiece for everybody to see.

KEVIN IOLE: Well, I'm pulling up the MGM-- the BetMGM app. You know, so you're actually not far from the MGM. You could actually go down and drop a bet on yourself before you go. So Dan Hooker is minus $1.30 and you are plus $1.10. So get a little value on a great hall of fame type fighter in Michael Chandler there.

MIKE CHANDLER: There we go, exactly. But that's to be expected. I am the outsider. I am the newcomer. I have not worn the UFC gloves yet inside the octagon. I have not-- you know, my name is not synonymous with the UFC yet.

And that's truly-- you know, going back to how well the UFC has taken care of me thus far and the time that they've put it on me, my gift back to them, my service back to them is rendering a great performance on Saturday night, and I'm excited to do that. It introduces me to a whole new fan base, a ton of eyeballs.

And, you know, I will be probably the underdog in my next fight too, you know, because I'll still be the newcomer. Ah, lightning could always strike anywhere, right? So I beat Dan Hooker. I'll probably still be the underdog the next time I find a Conor McGregor or a Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, whoever it may be. So we'll see.

KEVIN IOLE: Where do you think you get slotted in after your fight, right? So once you fight-- I know you believe you're going to beat Hooker, so let's assume for the moment you'll beat Hooker. What do you think that does? Do you think that puts you in the title fight? You know, Khabib is, like, kind of the X factor here. We don't know what he's going to do. But do you think that puts you in a title fight, or have they given you any indication sort of what the plan is?

MIKE CHANDLER: They haven't, but I think it puts me right at number five. I think right now you've got Tony Ferguson at number five, Dan Hooker at number six. I think Khabib slides out. Khabib slides out because I think he's probably not going to come back or at least not going to commit to coming back for over a year, in which case they have to pull him out of the rankings and they have to strip him of the title-- not strip him of the title but, you know, thoughtfully take the title from him and give it to someone else. You know, I hate to use the word strip Khabib of the title, right, because he's the greatest of all time.

And Tony Ferguson's on a two-fight losing streak, so I can't see me being-- you know, when I beat Dan Hooker, I can't see me not being ranked ahead of both of those guys. So I think you're going to see Justin Gaethje, the winter of Poirier and Conor number two and three, Oliveira number four, me number five.

KEVIN IOLE: Interesting. So, you know, there's a lot of good-- you know, a lot of really good fights in there. So in one sense it puts pressure on your back, right? I mean, you're used to pressure. You were a great collegiate wrestler. You're a professional world champion. But, I mean, you're going into this new organization, and right away, you know, you're in the middle of-- it's kind of like you signed with the Yankees and they're saying, OK, get into the World Series-- in your case the Cardinals I guess I should say, right?

MIKE CHANDLER: Yeah. Yeah.

KEVIN IOLE: And they're sticking you into the end of the playoffs and the World Series right away.

MIKE CHANDLER: Yeah. No, and it's definitely-- but it's definitely awesome. And like I said, I keep going back to it's a humbling experience. You know, I fought-- I fought outside the UFC for a really long time, and I don't quite think that I got the platform that God put me on this earth to attain, truthfully. And I believe right now I'm right where I need to be at the right time at the right moment.

And comain event of the biggest card of the year, quite possibly the biggest card-- the only thing bigger than a comain event on a Conor card is actually stepping into the cage against Conor. That's the only thing bigger.

And truthfully, the comain event slot could turn right into me stepping into that octagon with Conor by the end of the year. Who knows?

But I know it's all right there for the taking, and I also know that great opportunities come to those who diligently pursue greatness. And I've done that now for the last 12 years. Maybe it wasn't against the competition that people wanted to see. Maybe it wasn't in the right-- or in the right cage in the right setting under the right promotion under the right name brand, but I'm in the UFC now stepping into the octagon against a top-five guy, and here we are nine days away. And the stage is set, and 2021 is going to be a big year.

KEVIN IOLE: You talked about the platform, and I want to ask you that. I mean, what do you want to do with the platform? We saw, you know, a former college teammate, Tyron Woodley, his last fight. You know, he really, you know, tried to make the Black Lives Matter movement a part of-- you know, he answered every question with saying Black Lives Matter. You know, so he tried to use his platform you know, from almost a political standpoint. What is it that, you know, when you talk about the platform and the visibility you get fighting in the UFC, what is it that you want to accomplish with that?

MIKE CHANDLER: For me, honestly, I think my story resonates with a lot of young men especially around the United States and around the world. You know, it's great to be put on this big platform and fight on the comain event of Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, rubbing elbows with Conor McGregor who's got hundreds of millions of dollars now and Dana White who's got hundreds of millions of dollars and all of this huge, huge hoopla.

But, man, I started as a small guy from a small town who was taught to do small things. You know, my message is for Kevin from Cincinnati, Ohio, or Joe from down outside of a small town in Dallas, Texas, or any of these small towns around the entire world where they weren't exactly taught that they could go out there and accomplish great things. Don't leave outside those county lines because you'll fall flat on your face, and the worst thing that could possibly happen to you is falling flat on your face. And I'm here to tell everybody falling flat on my face numerous times-- numerous times with the whole world watching has been some of the greatest growth experiences of my life.

And that's just my platform. It's who I am. Like I said, it's small guy from a small town who was taught to do small things, but because I didn't listen to those small voices and a lot of times the small voices inside my head and inside my chest, I kept dreaming big, and here I am fighting on the biggest card of the year. Going to have millions of people watching me on Saturday night, and the stage is set for me to be able to go out there and accomplish every great thing that I've ever dreamed of, and we're right on the precipice of it.

KEVIN IOLE: That is awesome. Let me ask you-- you know, you mentioned Conor and Dustin a few times. Let me get your take on the fight, you know, as a guy that has observed them for a long time and knows, you know. Do you think Conor has an advantage because he won the first fight? Does that give him some kind of edge, mental edge, especially because he knocked him out? It wasn't like they went the distance and the judges decided it. You know, Conor finished him in that first fight. What do you-- how do you see that fight going, and do you think Conor goes into the fight with an edge mentally because of that first win?

MIKE CHANDLER: I think Conor does go in with the edge, both because of-- because of the win the first time. You know, once you have fallen and crumbled at the hands of another man, you can't-- you can't help but to think, ooh, there's a possibility that that could happen again.

With that being said, Dustin Poirier is now a much better, more mature, more of a man inside that cage than he was many years ago when they fought, but the same thing goes with Conor. They are both more mature. They are both now fathers. They are both now married. They are both now in business and charity, and their calling on their life is much bigger than just the Xs and Os and getting into a brawl inside of a cage.

Not to mention the fact that I guess technically I would normally say that Poirier has to deal with a UFC pay-per-view fight week, Conor McGregor fight week, which is huge media, huge hoopla, huge weigh-ins, huge press conferences, huge everything. The presser-- the pressure and the-- the pressure and the obligations mount on you, I'm sure. But obviously with COVID, a lot of those things are suppressed this time around, so I think it makes it a little bit easier than it normally would be for Poirier.

So first couple of rounds, you've got to bet on Conor. But if it gets past that second round and into the third, fourth, and fifth, I think you're going to see shades of Conor versus Diaz number two and number one as we see Conor somewhat slow down after the second round.

KEVIN IOLE: Pretty amazing. Well, Mike, it has been great to talk to you. Look forward to seeing you make your UFC debut. It's going to be a hell of a fight with you and Dan Hooker. Dan Hooker put on a great fight. He could have won that. You know, it could have been a fight of the year type fight too when you think of that, right? Hooker versus Poirier was an incredible fight as was Hooker versus Felder. So maybe it's going to be a hat trick with Hooker versus Chandler.

MIKE CHANDLER: Hey, we'll see. You know, I'm prepared for all of that. I'm prepared to go out there and knock him out in the first minute. I'm also prepared to go bite down on my mouthpiece for 15 minutes and get a fight of the night bonus. I would like that too, so let's go.

KEVIN IOLE: All right. Well, everybody, you have heard it from the man himself, Michael Chandler. He will be fighting Dan Hooker at UFC 257 on January 23. Mike, thanks so much. Good to see you, and I wish you all the best against Dan and your whole UFC career.

MIKE CHANDLER: Yes sir. Thank you, Kevin. Appreciate it.

KEVIN IOLE: Thanks, brother.