ABU DHABI – Khabib Nurmagomedov has laid out his terms. If someone stands out at UFC 257 and puts on an impressive performance, he might return for his 30th fight – another title defense.
Despite having his name on the short list of potential opponents for Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC), Michael Chandler won’t allow the UFC lightweight champion’s watchful eye to enter his mind heading into Saturday’s pay-per-view co-headliner against Dan Hooker.
“I mean, a lot of times when you’re focusing on something, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy that it ends up not happening,” Chandler told reporters, inclduing MMA Junkie, at a pre-fight news conference on Tuesday. “You focus so much (on), ‘I’ve got to be spectacular. I’ve got to get a knockout. I’ve got to get a submission. Khabib is a wrestler, so maybe he wants a wrestling challenge. Let me go out and wrestle Dan Hooker, so he thinks I’m a good enough wrestler for him to challenge.’ I don’t want to think about that. I want my performance to speak for itself.”
Chandler, 34, will make his UFC debut Saturday after a decade fighting for Bellator, but he feels free of pressure. Nurmagomedov’s return terms aside, Chandler (21-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) explained there is less weight on his shoulders entering a fight against someone like Hooker (20-9 MMA, 10-5 UFC), which is supposed to be competitive and challenging.
“You’ve followed my career for a long time,” Chandler said. “I had a lot to lose against a lot of guys where I was supposed to beat guys in the first round. There’s a lot more pressure when you’re going out and fighting a guy who you’re supposed to finish in the first round. Doing anything less than finishing him in the first round is a letdown to a lot of people. Whereas now, now I just have got to go and fight the No. 6 guy on the entire planet in my UFC debut on the co-main event of a huge pay-per-view?
“There’s not a lot of pressure in that because I’ve already cemented a great career. I’ve already enjoyed a great career. I want the fight to be able to take care of itself. Spectacular is what I go for every single time.”
UFC 257 takes place Saturday at Etihad Stadium. The main card streams on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
