Henri Hooft, Michael Chandler’s coach at Kill Cliff FC, reacted after Chandler’s defeat to Mauricio Ruffy at the UFC White House card.
Chandler was beaten down in the first round by Ruffy, who landed a wide array of strikes on the longtime MMA veteran until the referee eventually had to step in and stop the fight.
The loss gave Chandler four straight UFC losses and dropped his overall record inside the Octagon to 2-6.
Henri Hooft Reacts to Michael Chandler’s Loss at UFC Freedom 250
Taking to his social media after Chandler suffered the brutal TKO loss to Ruffy, Hooft shared his reaction to seeing his longtime student get stopped.
“Not the result we wanted!!! When you fight for over 14 years and you fight the best there will be losses and that’s our sport The biggest highs and lows. But the experiences and memories will always be special!!!! This was an epic event at a special place and time….. Thank you @mikechandlermma for the trust and loyalty. @tclax149 for the help in camp and the guys back home at @killcliff_fc @straticonconstruction for the support this week. Let’s keep charging,” Hooft wrote on his Instagram.
Chandler responded to his coach in the comments, writing: “There’s not a better trainer than you on the planet! Leader of men, @henrihooft.”
What’s Next for Michael Chandler?
There is no sugarcoating it: this was a bad loss for Chandler, and he has been booted from the top-15 UFC rankings following the defeat. That’s the first time since Chandler made his UFC debut in 2021 that he is no longer a part of the UFC’s top-15 lightweight rankings, emphasizing how devastating a defeat this was to his UFC career.
What happens next for Chandler remains to be seen.
While he likely wants a crack at UFC superstar Conor McGregor in a fight that has been years in the making, there is no guarantee the UFC books Chandler against McGregor, especially since his star power is all but gone now following his fourth straight loss inside the Octagon.
At age 40, Chandler is on the downside of his career. While he still has some power in his strikes and can land the occasional takedown, he is no longer the elite UFC lightweight that he once was, and the fact that he is no longer ranked in the top 15 reflects that.
The UFC will probably keep Chandler on the roster since he is still a popular fighter, and the fact that they put him on the White House card shows that the promotion still likes him.
But at the same time, it wouldn’t shock anyone to see him get cut because he makes quite a bit of money and he hasn’t had much success at all inside the Octagon in recent years, with his last win inside the Octagon coming back in 2022 over Tony Ferguson.
We’ll likely find out soon what the future holds for Chandler, but whatever it is, he is a well-respected veteran who has accomplished so much in this sport, and one bad loss at the UFC White House doesn’t define his career.
Michael Chandler’s Coach Reacts Following White House Defeat