Conor McGregor reacts to Michael Chandler's spectacular knockout of Dan Hooker at UFC 257

Michael Chandler is the latest entrant to the lightweight division of the UFC and made a statement with a spectacular knockout victory over Dan 'The Hangman' Hooker at UFC 257.

Conor McGregor lauded Chandler's performance in the post-fight press conference and gave him props. Dan Hooker is currently ranked No. 8 in the lightweight division. A win over 'The Hangman' will certainly propel Michael Chandler in the lightweight rankings.

McGregor on Chandler: "I thought it was a beautiful knockout... Fair play to him."

— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) January 24, 2021

Conor McGregor squared-off against Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 257. The Irishman tasted his first TKO defeat in MMA at the hands of the Diamond in the second round of the bout. Despite suffering a devastating loss, Conor McGregor seems to have gracefully accepted defeat.

Why is the UFC 257 win crucial for Michael Chandler?

Michael Chandler has previously mentioned that he always dreamt of fighting in the UFC while being in other promotions. In a recent video that Chandler put out on his Instagram handle, Chandler stated that Khabib Nurmagomedov is the best lightweight in the world at the moment.

Chandler expressed his desire to fight Nurmagomedov and prove his caliber as an MMA athlete.

Michaael Chandler believes that a win over Dan Hooker at UFC 257 will help him leapfrog the top 5 lightweights and fight for the title against 'The Eagle.'

"You look at my body of work - I got a lot of knockouts, I got a lot of submissions, I've used my wrestling. Can I be the guy that stops Khabib's wrestling? I think that is a legitimate question. We will find that out inside the cage," said Chandler.

MICHAEL CHANDLER'S UFC DEBUT WAS PICTURE PERFECT 😳 #UFC257 pic.twitter.com/hODV9GB94r

— ESPN (@espn) January 24, 2021

However, per Dana White in the UFC 257 post-fight press conference, it is unlikely that Khabib Nurmagomedov makes his return to MMA.