Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Dana White may be interested in booking a lightweight matchup between Dan Hooker and Tony Ferguson.
Top-five UFC lightweight Dan Hooker is still hungry for blood.
Fresh off his five-round war against Dustin Poirier at UFC on ESPN 12, ‘The Hangman’ wants to return to the battlefield against former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson, who is considered one of the most violent contenders in the division.
Hooker, who lost to Poirier via unanimous decision, wants to entertain fans in another ‘crazy fight’ and said a win over ‘El Cucuy’ should put him right back into title contention.
“Sh*t. It’s going to be another war,” Hooker said of a potential bloodbath with Ferguson in a recent interview with John Hyon Ko of the South China Morning Post (h/t BJPenn.com). “I can see why fans want to see that fight, and why people want to see that fight — because I know that’s going to be a crazy fight. I know for a fact, win or loss I’m going on another trip to the hospital if I fight Tony Ferguson,” Hooker said.
“It’s all risk versus reward in this game. If I get past Tony Ferguson I’m right back where to where I would have been had I beaten Dustin Poirier. Like I’d be in exactly the same position.”
“So to get your career turned around in only one fight like that is just an opportunity that I couldn’t go past. But I’m not saying Tony Ferguson is an easy fight. Like that’s the toughest fight in the division as far as I’m concerned. But it’s not something I shy away from,” he added.
UFC president Dana White is definetely interested in the matchup but the longtime fight promoter isn’t willing to committ to booking any fights until he returns from Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
“Can Hooker fight Ferguson? I don’t know, we’ll see,” White said (via MMA News). “He put on an incredible performance in his last fight. He looked great and we’ll get you figured out Dan, I promise. Like I said, I’m not making fights right now. I’m still over here [Fight Island] doing what I’m doing here.”
Ferguson, who recently suffered a fifth-round TKO loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 249, is currently ranked #3 in the UFC lightweight rankings while Hooker, 30, is ranked #5.