Tag: Dan Hooker

Alexander Volkanovski Warns Mateusz Gamrot: ‘Dan Hooker Is No Joke When It Comes To Wrestling Defense’

Former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has insisted Mateusz Gamrot won’t have it all his own way in the grappling department against Dan Hooker this weekend. Hooker will mark one of many Oceanic natives taking to the Octagon close to home at the upcoming UFC 305 pay-per-view event, which goes down inside the RAC Arena […]

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Former UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski has insisted Mateusz Gamrot won’t have it all his own way in the grappling department against Dan Hooker this weekend.

Hooker will mark one of many Oceanic natives taking to the Octagon close to home at the upcoming UFC 305 pay-per-view event, which goes down inside the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

The lightweight fan favorite had long been calling for a spot on the high-profile card, and he got his wish alongside a major opportunity to climb back up the ranks.

“The Hangman” is set to fight six places up the ladder against Gamrot, the #5-ranked contender at 155 pounds. The Polish fighter has been on a charge in the division, using his smothering wrestling game to get the better of names like Arman Tsarukyan, Jalin Turner, and Rafael dos Anjos in recent years.

In Hooker, though, Volkanovski thinks Gamrot will run into a hurdle too tall…

Volkanovski Backs Hooker To Withstand Gamrot’s Wrestling, Find A Finish At UFC 305

During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Volkanovski broke down and provided his picks for the major matchups set to play out at UFC 305 in Perth this Saturday (Sunday morning local time).

Among a number of Volkanovski’s frequent training partners over at City Kickboxing set to compete at the event is Hooker, who will enter his matchup with Gamrot as the underdog.

The brawling striker has long had wrestling pointed to as a deficiency in his game, with champion Islam Makhachev being the last to expose it back in 2021. But while “Gamer” has shown a strong ground game, Volkanovski believes it takes more than what he can offer to get past Hooker’s defenses.

“Gamrot is obviously gonna be coming for them takedowns. He’s a very, very, heavy wrestler, grappler,” Volkanovski said. “Look, Dan Hooker is hard to take down. Dan Hooker is no joke when it comes to wrestling defense and then submissions as you’re trying to take him down. You’ve seen the work Dan Hooker can do.

“I swear, even the last times I’ve been training with him, he’s still got it. 10 years in the UFC and I think he looks better probably now than he did before. The last time I trained with him, he was looking good,” Volkanovski continued. “Last time Dan Hooker faced someone like (Gamrot), it was Islam Makhachev. Remember, short notice, and I feel Islam’s a little more trickier with takedowns. … Gamrot’s gonna be more aggressive with the wrestling … I just feel like Hooker can do enough to make that hard. … Hooker has got incredible timing for the takedown defense. … Hooker might find the finish here.”

Hooker will look to prove Volkanovski’s prediction correct come fight night Down Under. And should he accomplish that feat, a return to the lightweight top five and title contention should be on the cards for the veteran New Zealander.

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Mateusz Gamrot Promises More Entertainment In UFC 305 Return Against Dan Hooker: ‘I Know How Is Politics In The UFC…’ 

While his opponent may be the one known for putting on barnburners, UFC lightweight contender Mateusz Gamrot has vowed to be the one thrilling the masses this weekend. Gamrot is set to feature in one of the most notable matchups on the lineup for Saturday’s UFC 305 pay-per-view event in Perth, Australia. Inside the RAC […]

Continue Reading Mateusz Gamrot Promises More Entertainment In UFC 305 Return Against Dan Hooker: ‘I Know How Is Politics In The UFC…’  at MMA News.

While his opponent may be the one known for putting on barnburners, UFC lightweight contender Mateusz Gamrot has vowed to be the one thrilling the masses this weekend.

Gamrot is set to feature in one of the most notable matchups on the lineup for Saturday’s UFC 305 pay-per-view event in Perth, Australia. Inside the RAC Arena, “Gamer” will face off against one of Oceania’s fan favorites, Dan “The Hangman” Hooker.

The bout sees the #5-ranked Gamrot fighting six places down the ladder despite winning three straight to secure a spot in the title picture. Nevertheless, the Polish 33-year-old sees Hooker’s name value as worthy of a championship opportunity should he emerge victorious.

For that to be the case, however, Gamrot knows more than a win will be required on August 17. And having had his grappling-heavy wins over Jalin Turner and Rafael dos Anjos criticized by some in recent times, “Gamer” is planning fireworks Down Under…

Gamrot On UFC 305 Goals: ‘I Need New Highlights’

During a recent interview with Home of Fight, Gamrot looked ahead to his second Octagon assignment of 2024 and described his goals for the UFC 305 showdown.

More than just exiting Perth with another triumph added to his streak, “Gamer” is looking to do away with criticisms of how his recent fights have been won by putting an entertaining exclamation mark on his performance opposite Hooker.

“I know that I can beat him only with my wrestling. But I know this time I need to give a more entertaining fight. I want to finish him on the ground,” Gamrot said. “But of course, this is mixed martial arts. In the beginning, you fight on the feet. I need to put my hands to him. I want to give a really good fight. I know I am number five in the rankings. If I want to fight for the belt in the future, I need to finish him.

“I need new highlights,” Gamrot continued. “Of course, this is for myself. For me, the most important is winning. A win is a win. But I know how is politics in the UFC, and the people love when you go to the cage and you finish the opponent. If this is three rounds, I will be also happy, you know? But I would like for myself to do something special. I know if I finish him, my way to the top will be really closer.”

By all accounts, Arman Tsarukyan is next in line for a shot at Makhachev’s lightweight gold upon his recovery from injury.

With Gamrot boasting a main event victory over the Russian-Armenian contender on his record, another victory this weekend to cement his spot in the top five would no doubt go a long way to securing him his first shot at gold on MMA’s biggest stage.

Continue Reading Mateusz Gamrot Promises More Entertainment In UFC 305 Return Against Dan Hooker: ‘I Know How Is Politics In The UFC…’  at MMA News.

UFC 305: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya Weigh-In Results: One Fighter Misses

UFC 305 takes place tomorrow night, and MMA News is here to bring you the official weigh-in results! For the first time in 2024, the Octagon is Down Under, with the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, playing host to the promotion’s latest pay-per-view event. And the mixed martial arts leader has brought a lineup worthy of […]

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UFC 305 takes place tomorrow night, and MMA News is here to bring you the official weigh-in results!

For the first time in 2024, the Octagon is Down Under, with the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, playing host to the promotion’s latest pay-per-view event. And the mixed martial arts leader has brought a lineup worthy of the occasion with it across the world, including a title fight and a host of notable undercard bouts.

The championship clash at the top of the card will see Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya’s heated feud finally reach the steel surroundings of the Octagon, with the South African’s middleweight title on the line.

Elsewhere, top flyweights Kai Kara-France and Steve Erceg will look to engineer themselves a second shot at UFC gold in the co-main event, while Oceanic favorites Dan Hooker and Tai Tuivasa will also hope to deliver highlight victories on the main card.

UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya Weigh-In Results

UFC 305 takes place Saturday, August 17 (August 18 local time) at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. The main card begins at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT, with the preliminary card starting at 6:30 PM ET/3:30 PM PT.

See above for a replay of the UFC 305 Weigh-In Show, and check out the full results below!

Main Card:

  • Middleweight Championship Main Event: Dricus Du Plessis (185lbs) vs. Israel Adesanya (184lbs)
  • Flyweight Co-Main Event: Kai Kara-France (125lbs) vs. Steve Erceg (125.5lbs)
  • Lightweight: Mateusz Gamrot (156lbs) vs. Dan Hooker (155.5lbs)
  • Heavyweight: Tai Tuivasa (265lbs) vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (259lbs)
  • Welterweight: Li Jingliang (171lbs) vs. Carlos Prates (170lbs)

Preliminary Card:

  • Heavyweight: Junior Tafa (244lbs) vs. Valter Walker (252lbs)
  • Featherweight: Joshua Culibao (146lbs) vs. Ricardo Ramos (145.5lbs)
  • Women’s Flyweight: Casey O’Neill (125.5lbs) vs. Luana Santos (126lbs)
  • Featherweight: Jack Jenkins (145.5lbs) vs. Herbert Burns (146lbs)

Early Preliminary Card:

  • Lightweight: Tom Nolan (155.5lbs) vs. Alex Reyes (156lbs)
  • Welterweight: Song Kenan (171lbs) vs. Ricky Glenn (171lbs)
  • Flyweight: Stewart Nicoll (126lbs) vs. Jesus Aguilar (127.5lbs)*

*Jesus Aguilar missed the flyweight limit by 1.5 pounds, fight status TBC

Continue Reading UFC 305: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya Weigh-In Results: One Fighter Misses at MMA News.

UFC 305: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya Ceremonial Weigh-In Faceoffs & Full Stream

UFC 305 takes place on Saturday night, and MMA News is here to bring you the final faceoffs from the ceremonial weigh-ins! The upcoming pay-per-view event at Perth’s RAC Arena provides a chance for UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis to further enhance his legacy on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage. After unseating Sean Strickland in […]

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UFC 305 takes place on Saturday night, and MMA News is here to bring you the final faceoffs from the ceremonial weigh-ins!

The upcoming pay-per-view event at Perth’s RAC Arena provides a chance for UFC Middleweight Champion Dricus Du Plessis to further enhance his legacy on mixed martial arts’ biggest stage.

After unseating Sean Strickland in the American’s first defense this past January, the South African will look to avoid the same fate when he puts the gold on the line Down Under opposite former two-time champ Israel Adesanya.

Title stakes could be down the line for the co-main event winner, meanwhile, with recent challenger Steve Erceg looking to immediately bounce back from his first UFC setback against the returning Kai Kara-France.

Elsewhere on the UFC 305 card, lightweight fan favorite Dan Hooker shoots for a top-five ranking opposite Mateusz Gamrot, hard-hitting heavyweights Tai Tuivasa and Jairzinho Rozenstruik likely swing for the fences, and China’s Li Jingliang makes a long-awaited comeback.

Ahead of the event, 23 out of the 24 fighters successfully made weight, with Jesus Aguilar’s 1.5-pound miss of the flyweight limit marking the sole indiscretion on the scale.

Nevertheless, every fight has remained intact, and all that remained on Friday night (Saturday local time) was for the athletes to face off one final time at the UFC 305 ceremonial weigh-ins!

Check out a stream via the official UFC YouTube channel below, followed by all the faceoffs!

UFC 305 Ceremonial Weigh-In Stream

UFC 305 Ceremonial Weigh-In Faceoffs

https://twitter.com/UFC_AUSNZ/status/1824644087280005191

https://twitter.com/UFC_AUSNZ/status/1824645141052699124

Continue Reading UFC 305: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya Ceremonial Weigh-In Faceoffs & Full Stream at MMA News.

Dan Hooker targets a spot on massive UFC Perth card: “That’s the logical next step.”

Dan HookerDan Hooker (22-12) has vocalized that he would like to be featured in the UFC card in Perth, Australia, close to his home. A veteran of the octagon Hooker made his 20th UFC appearance in November at Madison Square Garden in NYC. Coming into that fight, Dan suffered two losses in a row: first to […]

Dan Hooker

Dan Hooker (22-12) has vocalized that he would like to be featured in the UFC card in Perth, Australia, close to his home.

A veteran of the octagon Hooker made his 20th UFC appearance in November at Madison Square Garden in NYC. Coming into that fight, Dan suffered two losses in a row: first to Islam Makhachev and then to Arnold Allen. UFC 281 in New York City was a massive card and Hooker got his redemption in front of a raucous crowd. In the second round, Hooker defeated his opponent Claudio Puelles with a devastating body kick which sent him to the canvas for good.

Now, Hooker moves his focus to the next challenge ahead of him. ‘The Hangman’ recently sat down with Freestylebender on Youtube and discussed his desire to be on that UFC Perth card:

“UFC Perth, I believe that’s the logical next step. I feel like I’m just getting started, I feel like this is a fresh start… My skill level is a step ahead of ranked and unranked, I definitely belong there. For Perth, it should be a ranked opponent… I think the fans have come out and said and they’re all pretty adamant that they would like someone in the rankings.”

Dan Hooker on ‘What makes someone tough’

Having been in the UFC since 2014, Hooker has an impressive resume of opponents he’s faced during his time in the promotion. Dan is widely recognized as one of the most tough and durable fighters in the organization, and this reputation has stuck with him.

Further, into the interview with Freestylebender, Hooker reflected on what makes someone tough:

“Show up to the gym every single day, your brain just slowly gets calloused over time; you can’t do it at once. You can’t just have one fight a year and that’ll make you tough… Showing up to the gym every single day slowly makes you stronger. That’s why someone who’s been in the gym 10 years is so much better than the guy who’s been in there one year, he’s put in more hours.”

Hooker Comments on Volkanovski vs. Makhachev

City Kickboxing teammate Alexander Volkanovski is set to face off with Islam Makchaev in a Lightweight Championship Super-Fight. Dan Hooker had some words to offer about this fight and his teammate’s chances:

“I tip my hat to Makhachev because he’s in for one hell of a fight. Volk’s a very difficult man to get down and even harder to keep there. So I think yeah, he’s in for a tough night.”

Hopefully, for Hooker, he will be fighting at Perth on the same card as the Volk vs. Islam super-fight. Do you think ‘The Hangman’ will get the nod for Perth? Who should he be matched up against?

Watch the full interview with Freestylebender on Youtube:

What’s Next After UFC 304? Full Confirmed UFC 305 Main Card For Perth On August 17

UFC 304 is in the books, meaning attention will soon turn to the mixed martial arts leader’s next pay-per-view offering. The promotion was in Manchester, England last week, where the Co-op Live played host to a number of intriguing matchups for its latest visit across the pond. Of note were victories for newly crowned UFC Welterweight […]

Continue Reading What’s Next After UFC 304? Full Confirmed UFC 305 Main Card For Perth On August 17 at MMA News.

UFC 304 is in the books, meaning attention will soon turn to the mixed martial arts leader’s next pay-per-view offering.

The promotion was in Manchester, England last week, where the Co-op Live played host to a number of intriguing matchups for its latest visit across the pond. Of note were victories for newly crowned UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad, Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall, and rising lightweight Paddy Pimblett.

While the aftermath of the July 27 card is currently the talk of the town, it won’t be long until focus sways to the next PPV, and from the welterweight title picture to the 185-pound championship conversation.

At UFC 305, set for the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, on August 17, reigning middleweight kingpin Dricus Du Plessis will compete for the second time this year, making his first defense of the gold in a long-awaited grudge match against returning former two-time champ Israel Adesanya.

There will also be high stakes and Oceanic interest in the co-headliner, as former flyweight title challengers Kai Kara-France and Steve Erceg collide in the latter’s home city in pursuit of staking their claim for a shot at Alexandre Pantoja’s belt down the line.

Hooker, Tuivasa, ‘The Leech’ Set The Stage For Title Headliner At UFC 305

Before Du Plessis defends his championship in Adesanya’s home continent and the City Kickboxing standout’s teammate “Don’t Blink” makes his comeback, a number of other high-profile names will take to the Octagon looking to make the post of their position on the major card.

That includes fan-favorite lightweight veteran Dan Hooker, whose frequent calls for a spot on the Perth card were finally answered in the form of a crucial showdown with the #5-ranked Mateusz Gamrot. While Hooker has won back-to-back outings against Claudio Puelles and Jalin Turner to begin a resurgence, “Gamer” is riding a three-fight win streak.

Prior to that, Australia’s own Tai Tuivasa will look to bring his patented post-knockout shoey celebration back to the Octagon for the first time since his victory over Derrick Lewis in February 2022. That result marked “Bam Bam’s” fifth straight win and left him at #3 in the heavyweight rankings, but he’s since lost four in a row, the most recent of which came against Marcin Tybura at the Apex this past March. The same month saw his next opponent, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, return to winning ways at the expense of Shamil Gaziev.

And opening the main card is the return of Li Jingliang, who hasn’t made the walk since a controversial defeat to Daniel Rodriguez in their short-notice 180-pound catchweight contest at UFC 279 in September 2022.

See below for the full UFC 304 card, as it stands.

Main Card:

  • Dricus Du Plessis (C) vs. Israel Adesanya (middleweight championship main event)
  • Kai Kara-France vs. Steve Erceg (flyweight co-main event)
  • Mateusz Gamrot vs. Dan Hooker (lightweight)
  • Tai Tuivasa vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik (heavyweight)
  • Li Jingliang vs. Carlos Prates (welterweight)

Preliminary Card:

  • Junior Tafa vs. Valter Walker (heavyweight)
  • Joshua Culibao vs. Ricardo Ramos (featherweight)
  • Casey O’Neill vs. Luana Santos (women’s flyweight)
  • Jack Jenkins vs. Herbert Burns (featherweight)

Early Preliminary Card:

  • Tom Nolan vs. Alex Reyes (lightweight)
  • Song Kenan vs. Ricky Glenn (welterweight)
  • Stewart Nicoll vs. Jesus Aguilar (flyweight)
Dan Hooker
Image: UFC.com

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