“All clear from the Doc,” Hooker wrote on Twitter. “Let’s party.”
Dan Hooker is ready to party.
The 33 year-old “Hangman” broke his arm during a split decision win over Jalin Turner at the UFC 290 pay-per-view (PPV) event back in July, which required surgery to repair. His victory over “The Tarantula” marked his second straight and left him at No. 9 in the official lightweight rankings.
“I went back and I watched and I think it was a bit of a slow process,” Hooker said on The MMA Hour. “I think it was a front kick in the first round that I think might have put a little crack in it. If you look at it, just as round two starts, I look down at my arm because it’s not responding the way I want it to, and then in the second [round], he lands a couple more kicks and I think that breaks it.
“I definitely felt it in the second. I was like, ‘Something’s up here.’ I couldn’t feel my right hand, and then it wasn’t until the third round, I dropped him and I tried to finish him, I was following up with punches, and it was one punch and I was like, ‘I’m going to throw my right hand anyways.’ I threw my right and I felt it completely go out of place. My whole right arm just went dead. It’s not how I wanted to win. I was just controlling him on top with my right elbow and just staying on top punching him with my left hand.”
It didn’t take long for his tweet to get a response.
Who wants to watch that fight ?! #moicanovshooker @ko_reps @seanshelby @ufc #mma #ufc https://t.co/j2tIrrIG8M
— Renato Moicano UFC (@moicanoufc) September 22, 2023
I don’t hate it.
Hooker (23-12), who tried (unsuccessfully) to drop back down to featherweight, is unlikely to make his Octagon return until early 2024. Prior to skating by Turner at UFC 290, “The Hangman” laid waste to Claudio Puelles at UFC 281 in New York.
For more on his UFC 290 win in Las Vegas click here.