Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Top ranked 155-pound contenders, Dan Hooker and Dustin Poirier, are scheduled to hook ‘em up in the upcoming UFC on ESPN 12 lightweight main event, set to go down a week from Sat. night (June 27, 2020) inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.
And “The Hangman” is expecting a title shot with a victory over “The Diamond.”
“When I beat Poirier, it puts me next in line and anyone that has a problem with that, they know whose number to call,” Hooker told Sporting News. “I’ll have wins over a No. 3 in Poirier, Paul Felder who was six and Al Iaquinta who was six, which gives me a lot of confidence that I’ll be in line for a title shot.”
Hooker (20-8) has now captured three straight wins at 155 pounds, including his “Fight of the Night” against Paul Felder earlier this year. The streaking Aussie sits at No. 5 in the official rankings, two spots behind Poirier at No. 3.
“I know what he brings to the table,” Hooker said. “He’s incredibly durable, a strong boxer, strong wrestler, very well rounded and very comfortable in the main event slot. This will be his fifth or sixth main event, so he definitely has some more experience coming into the five rounders. That’s something that needs to be respected. In terms of skill, I feel like mine match up very well with his and I feel I’m a bit sharper technically on the feet.”
Poirier (25-6, 1 NC) is looking to rebound from his unanimous decision loss to reigning lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, who submitted the Louisiana native in the UFC 242 pay-per-view (PPV) main event last September.
Hooker is currently the +170 betting underdog.