Kiwi Dan Hooker suffered a tough first round loss against Michael Chandler. Photo / Getty
Kiwi Dan Hooker suffered a tough first round loss against Michael Chandler. Photo / Getty
In the UFC, when a fighter takes their gloves off following a bout and leaves them in the cage, it's usually a sign that they're considering retirement.
Dan Hooker saw Paul Felder do it after their classic in Auckland last February and, on Sunday, he was the one to lay them down.
Hooker was handed the first first-round loss of his career at UFC 257 on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi on Sunday against Michael Chandler, with Chandler catching Hooker with a left hand and swarming him for the early finish.
Chandler started the bout in his usual fashion, pressing the action, working the body and trying to make Hooker uncomfortable. Forcing Hooker onto the back foot for most of the fight, Chandler landed a punch to the body, forcing Hooker to back away and as Hooker tried to exit the danger zone near the cage, Chandler landed the left hand on the button to put Hooker down.
Dan Hooker takes off his gloves after a first-round TKO loss to Michael Chandler. Photo / Getty Images
Hooker went to exit on the appropriate side, with Chandler known for the power in his right hand, however did so with his hands down and got caught out.
The Kiwi was given every opportunity to stay in the fight by referee Marc Goddard, but the swarming Chandler was relentless and clubbed away until the fight was stopped.
As Chandler celebrated an impressive win, the disappointment was clear on Hooker's face. As the official announcement was being read out, Hooker undid his gloves and the commentary team said that, off camera, he left them inside the cage.
Chandler has long been thought of as one of the top lightweight fighters in the world, however being signed with Bellator – a rival promotion to the UFC – there were questions over how he would fare against the top echelon in the UFC.
His win over Hooker, one of the division's toughest competitors and highest-ranked fighters, shows the stock the UFC put in him when they signed Chandler was well placed.
While Chandler's performance was a statement win, it was the first of two big upsets in the lightweight division, with Irish superstar Conor McGregor being knocked out by Dustin Poirier in the second round of the main event.
Dustin Poirier beat Conor McGregor by second-round knockout at UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi. Photo / Getty Images
In a rematch of their 2014 bout at featherweight, Poirier showed he was a different beast at lightweight. In 2014, Poirier was stopped inside two minutes as McGregor's power advantage proved to be the difference.
But at the higher weight class, Poirier was able to wear some power strikes from McGregor and dish them back. While McGregor got the better of the first round, Poirier was putting points in the bank by hacking McGregor's lead leg at every opportunity.
That caused a lot of discomfort for McGregor and slowed him down, and when Poirier caught him with a left hand and hurt him, Poirier swarmed and put McGregor down for a statement win.
In the post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White said Chandler and Poirier could now meet with the UFC lightweight title on the line, with reigning champion Khabib Nurmagomedov expressing his intentions to retire following his last match – a win over Justin Gaethje in October last year.
