Dan Hooker’s coach fuels speculation on Conor McGregor fight: "Don't forget what he did to Gilbert Burns"
Conor McGregor is expected to be returning to the octagon against Michael Chandler. However, with their clash yet to materialize, speculation is that the Irishman, as well as the promotion, have moved on from Chandler.
Dan Hooker, who defeated Mateusz Gamrot in a close fight at UFC 305 which saw the Kiwi enter the lightweight top 5 rankings, called out McGregor during his post-fight speech.
'The Hangman' shared his eagerness to face off against any of the division's elite fighters, including Charles Oliveira, who is reportedly the opponent UFC matchmakers are most keen on securing for Hooker.
But during a recent interview with Submission Radio, longtime striking coach of the No.5 ranked lightweight, Mike Angove, shared a cryptic statement regarding the future of 'The Notorious'. He said:
"Chandler doesn't have a great resume recently. He's not had a good run of wins, that's a fight that we desperately want to get back because I think had that of gone any longer than the first round, Chandler would've been out of there."
He continued:
"McGregor is all over the shop. It looks like [McGregor vs. Chandler] is something that Dana [White] has fallen away from... There's plenty of options there, and Hooker is still dangerous to anyone in that division... Don't forget what he did to Gilbert Burns."
Watch Dan Hooker's coach discuss his option below (16:12):
Dan Hooker explains why he is the "smart" fight for Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor has not competed in the octagon since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in 2021.
But the Irishman was expected to return to fighting againt Michael Chandler in 2023, following the season finale of The Ultimate Fighter 31, in which both McGregor and Chandler featured as respective coaches.
But numerous delays led to the fight date being pushed further and further back, and there is speculation that the fight has now fallen by the wayside.
Following his UFC 305 win over Mateusz Gamrot, Dan Hooker called out 'The Notorious', and has now explained why he should fight the Kiwi instead of Chandler.
During a recent interview with Submission Grappling, he said:
"It's a smart option... You gonna fight a guy in the top five on a three-fight win streak or are you gonna fight [Chandler], who's not in the top five and coming off a loss... He has more to gain from fighting me than he does from Chandler."
Watch Dan Hooker's discuss fighting Conor McGregor below (18:00):