Dan Hooker couldn't use his normal style because of Chandlers power

[Kb7]

He was trying to point fight, it's clear what his gameplan was months ago. From interviews post Poirier fight, his coaches trying to turn him into Volkanovski. It's just not his style he can't really adapt.

 

[Harlekin]

Hooker lost because he dropped smartly both hands and ran left all day without switching. His defense is at 30% and he ran into the punch.
He is not the sharpest tool in the box and talks dumb stuff all day.

 

[StoneWT]

I see a bit of what you were talking about. Leg kicks had some impact, but not enough to put him out. It's like Khabib. While strikes COULD put him him out if he was hit with several more, he can always go balls out to beat the other guy before that happens. Chandler has the power to open a can of whoop ass if the leg kicks reach something like medium damage before he gets McGregor'ed.

 

[Deleted member 582760]

I see a lot of people saying stuff like:

"Hooker looked off"

"Hooker looked scared"

"Hooker was backing up too much"

Etc...

Hooker is smart. So is Eugene Bareman. They had clearly game planned it out, and realized that if they initiated a brawl with Chandler, the likelihood of Hooker going to sleep before Chandler did was too high.

Chandler hits like a truck. He is the hardest hitting 155'er on the planet. Hooker has a porous defense, and he relies on his chin to get him through brawls. Him and his team clearly had realized that this wasn't going to work against Chandler, and so they switched up his style into that of a patient kickboxer.

His strategy was pretty good. Chandler fights in a lead leg heavy style, and is susceptible to leg kicks.View attachment 829634
Hooker fired a couple of really hard ones at Chandler, and landed one towards the end that hurt Chandler.
View attachment 829633

Hooker fought a smart fight. He was also a terrible matchup for Chandler, and in my opinion Chandlers toughest in the top 5. Chandler is just that good.

Anyway, just thought I would share my opinion on why Hooker fought the way he did.

I do think Chandler is the hardest hitting lightweight in the UFC right now. The problem is, he's going to have a hard time landing that bomb on guys like Conor (Yes, even after last Saturday's performance) and Dustin. I'd really like to see him fight Justin Gaethje because I actually see Chandler beating him. From his fights in Bellator and what we saw last Saturday, I'd still pick Khabib, Conor and Dustin over Chandler. I do think however, he'll have a harder time against Conor and Dustin than he does against Khabib. Chandler is a monster wrestler who actually utilizes it in MMA. Khabib might just overpower him but keeping him in the ground is another thing.

 

[Bend NvR Break]

2012 champ Bendo. That's as relevant as someone now beating Gilbert Melendez or Pettis (who finished a much better version of Bendo as easily as Chandler did).

November 28th, 2015.

Same Benson who was 1-2 in his last 3 going into that fight.

Same Benson who was dusted off by Chandler.

 

[mkt]

November 28th, 2015.

Same Benson who was 1-2 in his last 3 going into that fight.

Same Benson who was dusted off by Chandler.

That was the same Masvidal who also lost to Iaquinta in 2015. Fighters can change, and Masvidal is a prime example. He always had the skills, but was way too passive and coasted too much. The much more aggressive Masvidal who finished Till, Askren and Nate is a completely different beast.

 

[mkt]

I see a bit of what you were talking about. Leg kicks had some impact, but not enough to put him out. It's like Khabib. While strikes COULD put him him out if he was hit with several more, he can always go balls out to beat the other guy before that happens. Chandler has the power to open a can of whoop ass if the leg kicks reach something like medium damage before he gets McGregor'ed.

We'll see. I'd like to see him fight Gaethje, who can both box with him (especially the more technical Gaethje who beat Tony) while landing leg kicks. And while Khabib submitted him, neither Eddie Alvarez or Dustin could keep Justin down more than a split second when they took him down. I wouldn't assume Chandler could do what Khabib did to Gaethje or that he could beat him or Porier in an extended striking war. If he doesn't get a quick win in R1 or R2, he could be in trouble.

 

[Deleted member 582760]

Hooker never fought a fucking tank like Chandler before. He lost to the superior fighter, he would lose to Chandler 100/100 times.

Khabib also fought only one guy like that, Tibau. And he struggled with him, some say he even lost that fight. Khabib is lucky the UFC LW division is not so good. I'm pretty sure Chandler will destroy guys like Poirier, Conor more impressive than Khabib did.

I disagree. As good and complete a fighter Chandler is, he'll struggle to stand and strike with Poirier and Conor. Him against Khabib will be quite interesting in my opinion. I'd really like to see him fight Khabib or Justin Gaethje.

 

[linvillegorge]

Pitbull is the best 145er in the world IMO. You sound like you don't watch MMA other than the UFC. You should do something about that or don't comment on stuff you don't watch.

Pitbull is an awesome fighter, but Max would eat him alive IMO. You sound mad. LOL!

Chandler has gotten hurt by everyone who has ever landed a decent shot on him. I figured someone who's evidently watched every fight in combat history would've noticed that and not immediately gotten defensive.

 

[NoBiasJustMMA]

Pitbull is an awesome fighter, but Max would eat him alive IMO. You sound mad. LOL!

Not mad, you just sound like an ignorant hater when you refer to him by his weight class(which he wasn't even fighting Chandler in) as if you don't know who he is. I think Pitbull beats Max with a similar gameplan to Volkanovski's, though less kicks and more counter punches as Max comes in. He has similar advantages that Volkanovski had, he's got more power in his hands, has better wrestling, better clinch and he can match Max's pace and cardio.