Perennial lightweight contender, Dan Hooker has revealed a fight with former division champion, Charles Oliveira has been sounded out for a UFC 305 card in Perth, Australia – claiming he is “100% in” to fight the Brazilian next.
Hooker, the current number eleven ranked division contender, has been sidelined since he featured at UFC 290 back the summer of last year, landing a decision win over Jalin Turner in a short-notice reworked clash.
As for former undisputed lightweight champion, Oliveira, the promotion’s most prolific submission and knockout artist, featured at UFC 300 back in April, suffering a close, controversial split decision win over current number one contender, Arman Tsarukyan.
Dan Hooker claims Charles Oliveira fight is in the works for UFC 305
And confirming plans to feature at the RAC Arena in a return ‘Downunder’ – amid the confirmation of a UFC 305 headliner featuring Dricus du Plessis and City Kickboxing training partner, Israel Adesanya in a middleweight title fight – Hooker confirmed his own comeback is still in the works.
“I’m not really sure I can say anything,” Dan Hooker told Fox Sports Australia during a recnet interview. “There’s nothing official, but obviously I’m a hundred percent in and – the old ‘Charlie Olives’ (Charles Oliveira).”
“I think that’s the fight the fans here over this side of the world would love to see, but yeah, let’s see if he takes the ake and signs on the dotted line.”
Kiwi striker, Hooker’s revelation of a targeted fight with fan-favorite finisher, Oliveira in his return to the Octagon comes hot on the heels of a recent call out of the Brazilian by his own training partner, Alexander Volkanovski – who labelled a potential clash an “exciting” showdown.
“So, if there is no title fight until next year [for me] then I need something exciting – maybe Charles Oliveira,” Alexander Volkanovski explained. “There are others but I think Michael Chandler will keep waiting for Conor McGregor and I think Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje also want to wait a bit. There is nobody [at featherweight] that excites me, or that I haven’t fought already. And they’ve said my next one there is the title fight.”
Who wins in a potential future fight: Dan Hooker or Charles Oliveira?