Tag: Dan Hooker

Dan Hooker: Being A Dan Hooker Fan Is Not An Easy Run

Dan Hooker knows that he is not everyone’s cup of tea. Dan Hooker is on a new journey in the UFC. After a successful run in the lightweight division, he is now heading down to featherweight. hooker has his first opportunity at 145 pounds as he was recently matched up with Arnold Allen for the […]

Continue Reading Dan Hooker: Being A Dan Hooker Fan Is Not An Easy Run at MMA News.

Dan Hooker knows that he is not everyone’s cup of tea.

Dan Hooker is on a new journey in the UFC. After a successful run in the lightweight division, he is now heading down to featherweight. hooker has his first opportunity at 145 pounds as he was recently matched up with Arnold Allen for the UFC London event in March. Hooker’s journey at lightweight ended when he lost three of his last four in the division. Hooker fans may have been looking for an undisclosed reason for the slide, but Hooker has no excuses to give them.

“Nah, it just sounds like excuses at this point,” Hooker told The AllStar. “Excuses, to me, are like, there’s a lot of people that when you lose, fall off the bandwagon, and there’s a lot of people that are half in and half out,” said Hooker. “I feel like your excuses are to try and convince, or not even excuses, but if you give a reason, you’re almost trying to convince the people that are teetering on the edge of whether to support you or not support you, you’re trying to get them back on the bandwagon. That’s not my intention. If you don’t wanna support me, don’t support me.”

Hooker’s run in the 155-pound division wasn’t all bad. He put together a string of eight wins from 2017 to 2020 and put himself in line to fight some of the best in the UFC, including Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler. This change-up of weight classes will be new hope for Hooker’s title aspirations. However, he is being realistic with his fans.

“I will admit, I will 100% admit, being a Dan Hooker fan is not an easy run, you know what I mean? It’s not like being a Khabib fan. That’s one guy in the history of this sport that has done that,” added Hooker. “Being a Dan Hooker fan is a tough road, and if you wanna be on that bandwagon, we take the bumpy road, we take the off-road; there’s cracks in our road, there’s bumps, there’s hills, but it’s fun. We’re here because we ride rollercoasters. We’re not here for smooth sailing. If you want smooth sailing, there are plenty of other fighters with nice, pretty records and 0s and this and that. That’s not what my story is about, that’s not why I do this, that’s not what I find fun.”

His first test at featherweight since 2014 will be a tough one. Allen is on a ten-fight winning streak and has not yet lost since entering the UFC. He is ranked seventh in the division, and Hooker will be looking to replace him in the top ten with a win in London.

Do you think Hooker will fair any better at featherweight than he did at lightweight?

Continue Reading Dan Hooker: Being A Dan Hooker Fan Is Not An Easy Run at MMA News.

Arnold Allen Fight Coincides With Dan Hooker’s Reason For FW Move

UFC fan favorite Dan Hooker is ready to make a splash when he returns to featherweight, starting with an impressive performance against England’s Arnold Allen. Despite his recent run of form consisting of losses to some of the best lightweights in the world, Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler, and Islam Makhachev, Hooker feels that to remain […]

Continue Reading Arnold Allen Fight Coincides With Dan Hooker’s Reason For FW Move at MMA News.

UFC fan favorite Dan Hooker is ready to make a splash when he returns to featherweight, starting with an impressive performance against England’s Arnold Allen.

Despite his recent run of form consisting of losses to some of the best lightweights in the world, Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler, and Islam Makhachev, Hooker feels that to remain in contention for UFC gold, he has to make a change.

Believing he doesn’t have a place among the 155-pound elite until the landscape of the division changes, “The Hangman” made the decision to move back to 145 pounds.

While he initially targeted dream fights with “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung and Brian Ortega, Hooker has had to settle for a contender outside the top five. Nevertheless, a victory over Allen will certainly insert the New Zealander right into the title picture at featherweight.

The pair are set to throw down on March 19, a date that will signal the promotion’s return to London, England. While “Almighty” Allen targets a triumph in front of his home crowd, Hooker will be looking to spoil the party for the Ipswich native.

Hooker Hopes To Steal Allen’s Momentum

Despite going 1-3 in his last four Octagon outings, Hooker isn’t returning to featherweight with the aim of taking easier matchups and rising the ranks slowly. He wants to get straight into the mix at 145 pounds and book dates with the top names in the division.

With Allen, that is exactly what he’s getting. The Englishman is unbeaten in the UFC. Across his unblemished 8-0 promotional record, the 28-year-old has established himself as one of the fastest-rising contenders thanks to victories over Makwan Amirkhani, Nik Lentz, and Sodiq Yusuff.

Discussing how the matchup came together in an interview with The AllStar, Hooker explained why Allen is the kind of opponent he usually accepts, while others tend to turn down.

“He is really good, but not like, a big name. I can see why I got that fight because I generally get the fights that other people don’t wanna take,” said Hooker. “That’s generally how I wind up with opponents… I feel like this is the situation with Arnold Allen, where he’s a super-talented fighter, very technical, well-rounded, and not the biggest name. Those are the difficult fights.”

While others have perhaps shied away from the challenge of defeating Allen, Hooker is excited by the prospect of becoming the first blemish on the #7-ranked contender’s résumé.

“For sure, it excites me to get out there and get the opportunity to stop that run, stop a run like that, undefeated in the UFC, 8-0. That’s a huge accomplishment in itself, to reach that sort of achievement, so the opportunity to get out there and stop it, and to take all of that momentum that he’s carrying off those eight wins and take it for myself, that’s what excites me about this fight.”

While he isn’t taking the task of handing Allen his first loss in MMA’s premier promotion lightly, Hooker is anticipating a place right in the mix among the featherweight elite if he is successful on March 19.

“Without a doubt, he’s #7 and he’s got all that hype,” added Hooker. “I’m not looking past Arnold or anything like that, but yeah, that (victory over Allen) gets you one of those big-name guys in the division, and that’s really like, my main motivation for going down to featherweight and for making the cut, to put myself straight back in the mix.”

Having previously gone 3-3 during his initial stint at featherweight in the UFC, Hooker will be after more consistency when he makes his return to the lighter weight class.

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC London, Dan Hooker or Arnold Allen?

Continue Reading Arnold Allen Fight Coincides With Dan Hooker’s Reason For FW Move at MMA News.

Dan Hooker: People Defending Jon Jones Are F*cking Idiots

Dan Hooker has stood by the comments he directed at Jon Jones, and suggested those who defend the former UFC light heavyweight champion are “f”cking idiots.”

In one of the more unlikely social media feuds in recent times, Hooker, a UFC veteran who …

Jon Jones, Dan Hooker

Dan Hooker has stood by the comments he directed at Jon Jones, and suggested those who defend the former UFC light heavyweight champion are “f”cking idiots.”

In one of the more unlikely social media feuds in recent times, Hooker, a UFC veteran who will be returning to featherweight from lightweight at UFC London on March 19, took aim at the recent discretions of two-time 205-pound king and GOAT contender Jones.

During his ongoing period of inactivity, which came after he vacated the light heavyweight title to pursue a move up to heavyweight, Jones found himself in the headlines for all the wrong reasons yet again. Just hours after being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame Fight Wing last September, “Bones” was arrested for battery domestic violence.

In the days and weeks that followed, a host of names and personalities, including Anthony Smith, Daniel Cormier, Chael Sonnen, and Brendan Schaub publicly spoke out about Jones’ latest run-in with the law. In December, it was “The Hangman” who took aim.

After Jones appeared to mock Chael Sonnen’s December arrest and compared it to his own, Hooker defended the former two-division UFC title challenger and, in doing so, slammed Jones’ September incident.

In response to Hooker’s remarks, Jones suggested the New Zealander was only getting vocal because he was jealous of the former light heavyweight titleholder’s success.

“@danthehangman, every opportunity you’ve had to make a name for yourself and be closer to your boy Izzy, you dropped the ball. You can’t achieve greatness, so you hop online and attack someone who has. Sounds about right.”

Not one to back down, Hooker turned the attention back to Jones’ domestic violence charge.

Hooker: “I Said What I Said & I Stand By It”

After going back-and-forth with Jones on social media, Hooker appeared to have the last laugh after “Bones” deleted his post. Now, in an interview with John Hyon Ko for The AllStar, “The Hangman” has looked back on his interaction with his UFC peer.

Hooker’s takeaway from the incident? Don’t come for him when he’s at least two beers deep on Christmas Day.

“It is what it is. It’s the internet. Brendan Schaub was right, he’s not wrong. I feel like he (Jones) definitely didn’t receive a lot of criticism for the things he’s definitely done,” said Hooker. “But it wasn’t really until he bit back at me… I didn’t tag him in it or anything like that, then he decides Christmas Day to tag me in. Dan Hangman was drinking some beers on Christmas Day. It’s a bad day to come at me on Twitter. If I’ve had a couple beers, it’s a bad day to come at me because I’m gonna shoot back, and I’m not gonna bite my tongue as most people would.”

Ultimately, Hooker said he completely stands by his words, and while an official fight with Jones wouldn’t make sense, the fan-favorite New Zealander says he’d be open to a car park scrap if Jones still harbors ill will towards him, something he’d never back down from after criticizing someone publicly.

“I said what I said and I stand by it. I would never say anything about someone or to someone and not give them the opportunity to not punch me in the face,” added Hooker. “Do I have any kind of malice or ill will towards Jon Jones? Definitely not, I don’t spend any time thinking about Jon Jones, I couldn’t care less about Jon Jones. Would we have a fight? No, the fight would never make sense. Would I fight him in the car park? If he had a problem with me, of course, I would oblige.

Dan Hooker, Jon Jones
Dan Hooker, Jon Jones

“I would never insult someone and not give them the opportunity to punch me in the face. That’s an entirely different discussion. But do I have any ill will towards Jon Jones? Nah, definitely not.”

Discussing how the exchange came about, Hooker said he was compelled to defend his “mentor” and “good guy” Sonnen after Jones attempted to group the retired fighter’s arrest, which seemingly came after he attempted to defend his wife, with his domestic violence charge.

“I don’t know too much about Jon Jones, you can only see what he’s done… It was more that Chael Sonnen’s my guy. That’s my guy. I view Chael as a mentor… He’s a good dude, he’s a great guy,” Hooker continued. “As Brendan Schaub said, those are two entirely different situations, and the way that Jon tried to portray it with Chael was that they were similar. He goes out his way to share the thing of Chael getting arrested.

“He’s trying to compare them but, there’s like, a definite line. To me, defending your wife from people insulting her is one of the most honorable things you could possibly do. And then to put hands on your wife is one of the most terrible things. This is just my viewpoint.”

In Hooker’s mind, the sides of the coin are simple; either you’re against domestic violence in all forms or you think it’s fine as long as the attacker is good at a sport. For “The Hangman,” those who follow the latter mindset are “f*cking idiots.”

“As far as I’m concerned from what I said, there’s like, only two arguments. that come to it, it’s people that think it’s not okay to physically abuse your spouse, and then the other side of it is people that think it’s okay if you’re really good at a sport. Those people are, excuse my French, those people are f*cking idiots, like, those people are just young and immature and not up to scratch. It’s just not okay… There’s no possible way you could convince me there’s any kind of exception,” concluded Hooker.

With his social media fight versus Jones now behind him, Hooker will turn his attention to his return to the Octagon. He’ll hope to push back towards contention when he moves down to 145 pounds to face Arnold Allen.

While his toughness and willingness to trade blows inside the cage have always been clear, the New Zealand brawler is evidently not afraid to bite back at his fellow fighters on Twitter when he thinks they’re in the wrong.

Do you agree with Dan Hooker’s take?

Continue Reading Dan Hooker: People Defending Jon Jones Are F*cking Idiots at MMA News.

Dan Hooker Says He Would Fight Jon Jones In A Carpark

Dan HookerDan Hooker has gained a reputation among the MMA community as someone who would fight anyone at any time. But Hooker has taken this to a whole new level by taking shots at the former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.  This twitter back and forth happened over Christmas, with Jones’s comments about Chael Sonnen’s battery […]

Dan Hooker

Dan Hooker has gained a reputation among the MMA community as someone who would fight anyone at any time.

But Hooker has taken this to a whole new level by taking shots at the former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. 

This twitter back and forth happened over Christmas, with Jones’s comments about Chael Sonnen’s battery citations.

Speaking to TheAllStar Hooker said, “I kind of just threw something at the wall of the internet. I didn’t tag him or anything, [but] he decided on Christmas Day to tag me in [a tweet].”

“Do I have some kind of malice or ill-will towards Jon Jones? Definitely not. I don’t care, I don’t spend any time thinking about Jon Jones, I couldn’t care any less about Jon Jones. Would we ever fight? No, the fight would never make sense. Would I fight him in a carpark? If he had a problem with me of course I would oblige. I would never insult someone and not give them the opportunity to punch me in the face. That’s an entirely different discussion. But do I harbor any ill-will towards Jon Jones? Nah, definitely not.”

As the “Hangman” explained, a UFC fight between the two could never take place and they’re moving further apart in weight divisions. 

Hooker also spoke about why he felt the need to intervene with Jones’ comments on Twitter about Sonnen. 

“There’s a definite blurred line. To me, defending your wife from people insulting her is one of the most honorable things you could possibly do. To put hands on your wife is one of the most terrible things. This is my opinion and view on the topic… There’s only two arguments when it comes to that, people that think it’s not okay to physically abuse your spouse, and the other side where people think it’s okay if you’re really good at a sport. Those people, excuse my French, those people are f*****g idiots. Those people are just young, immature, and not up to scratch. It’s just not okay.” 

What’s next for Dan Hooker and Jon Jones? 

Hooker and “Bones” are actually moving further apart in weight divisions.

With Hooker now dropping back down to featherweight after losing three out of his last four bouts at lightweight. 

A fresh start at feather against number seven ranked Arnold Allen could be what the “Hangman” needs. 

Jon Jones has been rumoured to be moving up to heavyweight since vacating his light heavyweight title back in 2020, after what Jones has been tweeting since UFC 270 you can only imagine he will be making his heavyweight debut soon. 

What makes you more excited Dan Hooker back at featherweight or Jon Jones at heavyweight?

Dan Hooker vs. Arnold Allen Set For UFC London On March 19

Dan Hooker will make his return to featherweight when he takes on 145-pound contender Arnold Allen at UFC London on March 19.

The event, expected to take place at the O2 Arena, will mark the UFC’s first trip to England’s capital since before the CO…

Arnold Allen, Dan Hooker

Dan Hooker will make his return to featherweight when he takes on 145-pound contender Arnold Allen at UFC London on March 19.

The event, expected to take place at the O2 Arena, will mark the UFC’s first trip to England’s capital since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The promotion confirmed the addition of Hooker vs. Allen to the card on Monday.

While the March 19 card will represent the UFC’s return to across the Atlantic, it will mark an even bigger homecoming for Hooker (22-11), who will be returning to featherweight for the first time since 2016.

After a 3-3 start in the UFC at 145 pounds, “The Hangman” made the move to lightweight. There, he initially went 7-1 and defeated the likes of Gilbert Burns, Jim Miller, Al Iaquinta, and Paul Felder. But since a main event victory over “The Irish Dragon,” Hooker has seen his form plummet.

In his last four outings, the New Zealander has gone 1-3, falling to defeats against Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler, and Islam Makhachev. Despite those names representing three of the toughest tests in the weight class, Hooker acknowledged that returning to contention will be difficult in the current lightweight landscape.

After a successful trial weight cut to 145 pounds late last year, Hooker made it clear he was pursuing a return to featherweight. Now, with his desired matchups against “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung and Brian Ortega not coming to fruition, “The Hangman” will be welcomed back to the division by a surging Englishman.

At UFC London, Hooker will be looking to score one for the internationals when he faces Ipswich native “Almighty” Allen (17-1). The 28-year-old is widely considered the hottest prospect at 145 pounds and has found himself at #7 in the rankings after a perfect 8-0 start in the UFC.

Allen’s record on MMA’s biggest stage includes triumphs over Makwan Amirkhani, Gilbert Melendez, and Nik Lentz. Most recently, he established himself as the top rising contender in the division by getting past Sodiq Yusuff in April 2021.

Allen and Hooker will join a stacked UFC Fight Night card with a host of exciting names. The event will be headlined by an intriguing heavyweight contest between perennial contender Alexander Volkov and England’s best hope for a UFC heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall.

Listed below are the fights currently expected to go down on March 19 in London, England:

Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall (heavyweight main event)

Dan Hooker vs. Arnold Allen (featherweight)

Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Sergei Pavlovich (heavyweight)

Jack Shore vs. Timur Valiev (bantamweight)

Paddy Pimblett vs. Kazula Vargas (lightweight)

Nathanial Wood vs. Liudvik Sholinian (bantamweight)

Makwan Amirkhani vs. Mike Grundy (featherweight)

Molly McCann vs. Luana Carolina (women’s flyweight)

Cody Durden vs. Muhammad Mokaev (flyweight)

Jake Hadley vs. Allan Nascimento (flyweight)

Cory McKenna vs. Elise Reed (women’s strawweight)

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC London, Dan Hooker or Arnold Allen?

Continue Reading Dan Hooker vs. Arnold Allen Set For UFC London On March 19 at MMA News.

Dan Hooker Drops To 145lbs, Takes On Arnold Allen At UFC London

Dan HookerIt looks like UFC London has got its co-main event. UFC officials have confirmed that long-time lightweight contender, Dan Hooker, is dropping down to featherweight and will take on British standout, Arnold Allen, who is currently ranked #7 at 145lbs. Hooker spent his first six UFC at featherweight. During this period (2014-2016) ‘Hangman’ went 3-3 […]

Dan Hooker

It looks like UFC London has got its co-main event.

UFC officials have confirmed that long-time lightweight contender, Dan Hooker, is dropping down to featherweight and will take on British standout, Arnold Allen, who is currently ranked #7 at 145lbs.

Hooker spent his first six UFC at featherweight. During this period (2014-2016) ‘Hangman’ went 3-3 before moving up in weight. The New Zealander has gone 8-4 since he made the switch to lightweight and is currently on a run of bad form losing three of his last four fights. Hooker’s last two losses have been particularly devastating as they have come via first-round stoppage to Islam Makhachev and Michael Chandler.

Allen appears to be the Darkhorse at featherweight, but he definitely shouldn’t be. ‘Almighty’ has won eight straight fights since joining the UFC and has beaten the likes of Gilbert Melendez and Sodiq Yusuff. It’ll be great to see him get a lofty showcase spot against a popular opponent at UFC London on March 19.

UFC London Card

Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall
Arnold Allen vs. Dan Hooker
Jake Hadley vs. Allan Nascimento
Luana Carolina vs. Molly McCann
Cody Durden vs. Muhammad Mokaev
Makwan Amirkhani vs. Mike Grundy
Jack Shore vs. Timur Valiev
Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Sergei Pavlovich
Paddy Pimblett vs. Kazula Vargas

Who’ll win on March 19? Dan Hooker or Arnold Allen?