Dan Hooker has headlined a couple of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Fight Night cards and taken part in several pay-per-view (PPV) events. Of course, it’s safe to say his next fight will likely be on the biggest event he’s competed in thus far.
Indeed, “The Hangman” will face off against Michael Chandler in the co-main event of UFC 257 on Sat. Jan 23, 2021, which is of course set to feature the return of Conor McGregor taking on former interim champion, Dustin Poirier.
And when “Notorious” is involved, everything is magnified, even press conferences which are an event in and of themselves when he’s on the docket. UFC will stage a special pre-fight presser on Thurs., (Jan. 21, 2020) in the leadup to the weekend’s PPV extravaganza. Hooker knows all eyes will be on the presser, though he will still be who he is without trying too hard to deliver some headline-stealing line.
“To be honest, I’m a fan of the sport – it’ll be pretty surreal to be sitting up with those guys at such a huge press conference like that,” Hooker said in an interview with MMA Junkie. (transcribed by MMA News).
“I don’t put too much thought into it. I’m not a guy who goes away and practices my lines in the mirror or anything like that. I’m going to take it as it comes. Ninety-nine percent of the focus will be on Conor and what he’s going to do and what he’s going to say,” he added.
Whether it’s coming in fashionably late in an expensive fur coat, engaging in bottle-throwing wars or delivering legendary one-liners, McGregor always steals the show when it comes to pressers.
In 2016, however, he delivered perhaps his most memorable line yet by absolutely obliterating Jeremy Stephens with his “who the fuck is that guy” line after “Lil’ Heathen” tried to steal some of the Irishman’s fire by saying he had the knockout power to sleep him.
It’s an embarrassment Hooker jokingly says he will avoid at all costs.
“You’ve got to be on your toes. You don’t want to get ‘Who the ‘fook’ is that guy’d?’ or something like that. He could chuck you in the can in one line,” he said.
All jokes aside, “The Hangman” has a big opportunity to upset the order of the 155-pound division by spoiling Chandler’s debut. And with Khabib Nurmagomedov dangling a carrot out there for the main and co-main event competitors, Hooker will be on his toes in more ways than one while on “Fight Island.”