Published 13:33 IST, January 29th 2021
WWE legend Ric Flair calls Michael Chandler, congratulates him for UFC debut win: Watch
After Michael Chandler defeated Dan Hooker at UFC 257, he received a call from WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair who congratulated him for his win.
Former Bellator MMA champion Michael Chandler delivered an absolute clinic last Saturday at the co-main event of UFC 257. The Iron battered Dan Hooker in his UFC debut bout, winning via a first-round knockout. After the bout, Chandler delivered an equally impressive promo, while honouring one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, Ric Flair.
And it looks like the Hall of Famer took notice as he facetimed the 34-year-old later, congratulating him for his win. A giddy Michael Chandler shared the clip on his Instagram, thanking the Nature Boy for the praise. Chandler shared the video,saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, fresh off one of the best days of my entire life, then I get a personal congratulation from one of the greatest men to ever do it. The man, the myth, the legend, Ric Flair”. As The Iron turned the camera to his laptop, Flair let out his trademark ‘wooooo’.
With the win over Dan Hooker, Chandler immediately became a top lightweight contender, currently at the fourth spot of the lightweight rankings. At the post-fight interview, Chandler called out former interim champion Dustin Poirier – who defeated Conor McGregor at the main event of UFC 257. Though Khabib Nurmagomedov still holds the lightweight title on papers, Chandler hopes to face Poirier for the vacant title that is expected to be on the line soon after Dana White accepts Khabib’s retirement.
Michael Chandler next fight: Michael Chandler wants to fight Dustin Poirier next
Even though White is on board with the idea of booking Dustin Poirier vs Michael Chandler, the former interim champion made it clear that he won’t fight The Iron next. Dustin Poirier claimed that Chandler would have to defeat other top fighters before getting a shot at him. However, Chandler is still dreaming big as he praised Poirier at the post-fight conference.
“I think I match up extremely well against him, I got a ton of respect for that man inside the octagon and outside the octagon. He’s a champion in his own right, I got to watch him cageside go and put away Conor McGregor, one of the greatest of all time,” he added.
Also Read l Dustin Poirier thinks Justin Gaethje would be great ‘measuring stick’ for Michael Chandler
Image Source: Michael Chandler/ Instagram
Updated 13:33 IST, January 29th 2021