Tag: Dan Hooker

Pimblett On Makhachev’s Record: “I’d Submit Hooker In The 1st Round”

UFC lightweight prospect Paddy Pimblett is not at all impressed with Islam Makhachev and his title credentials, claiming he’d also be able to submit Dan Hooker in the first-round.

Since falling to his only loss professional MMA at the hands of Adri…

Paddy Pimblett, UFC 267: Makhachev vs. Hooker

UFC lightweight prospect Paddy Pimblett is not at all impressed with Islam Makhachev and his title credentials, claiming he’d also be able to submit Dan Hooker in the first-round.

Since falling to his only loss professional MMA at the hands of Adriano Martins in 2015, Makhachev has built a win streak impressive enough to ascend him into the top five at 155 pounds.

Victories over Arman Tsarukyan, Davi Ramos, and Drew Dober landed the Dagestani his first main event slot. At UFC Vegas 31, he made the most of it by submitting formerly-ranked contender Thiago Moisés. Having risen to #5 on the lightweight ladder, much to the bemusement of some, Makhachev had the chance to jump closer to the title three months later on Fight Island.

The Abu Dhabi fan favorite faced short-notice opponent Hooker at UFC 267 after a clash with long-time rival Rafael dos Anjos fell through for the third time. In the opening round, Makhachev showed his superiority on the ground by submitting “The Hangman” with a brutal kimura.

Having defeated a top-10 opponent and extended his active win streak to nine, many are beginning to sing the praises of Makhachev and brand him a future champion, suggesting he could perhaps even hold gold by the end of 2022. However, one rising 155lber doesn’t share the same sentiment.

During a recent appearance on Michael Bisping’s Believe You Me podcast, Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett downplayed Makhachev’s form and résumé. After suggesting the #4-ranked lightweight hasn’t beaten anyone of note except Hooker, Pimblett claimed he’d be able to beat the New Zealander in a similar fashion.

“Makhachev hasn’t fought anyone lad,” Pimblett said. “He’s only fought Hooker. I think I’d submit Hooker in the first round. That’s what I mean, he’s a kickboxer lad. I’d take him down and submit him.”

Pimblett Can’t See Makhachev Beating Gaethje, Oliveira Or Dariush

Following his victory over Hooker, many expected Makhachev to perhaps be accelerated to the title next. Unfortunately for him, Justin Gaethje’s winning performance in a Fight of the Year contender against Michael Chandler effectively prevented that from being a possibility.

With “The Highlight” set to challenge for Charles Oliveira’s gold this year, Makhachev has had to settle for a title eliminator against #3-ranked contender Beneil Dariush.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CXtKADJKVW-/

But while many see Makhachev ending Dariush’s seven-fight win streak before dethroning the winner of Gaethje vs. Oliveira in late 2022, Pimblett doesn’t believe the Dagestani has what it takes to beat any of them.

“Whoever wins out of Oliveira/Gaethje (will enter 2023 with the title), because I can’t see Makhachev beating either of them… I think Dariush beats Makhachev. I rate Dariush mate, I think he’s very underrated. He’s fucking quality.”

We won’t have to wait long for the first of those three predictions to be tested. Makhachev and Dariush are set to headline a UFC Fight Night card on February 26.

Barring an inconclusive end to the next title fight or the intervention of a certain Conor McGregor, it stands to reason the victor will be joining the champion inside the Octagon at the end of this year.

Who do you think will have their hand raised on February 26, Islam Makhachev or Beneil Dariush?

Continue Reading Pimblett On Makhachev’s Record: “I’d Submit Hooker In The 1st Round” at MMA News.

Israel Adesanya Reacts To Hooker vs. Jones Twitter Beef

Israel AdesanyaIsrael Adesanya has chimed in on the recent social media beef between his teammate, countryman, and friend, Dan Hooker, and his long-time rival, Jon Jones. The former UFC light-heavyweight champion has been receiving flack from fighters and fans around the world ever since he was arrested on domestic violence charges back in September. Jones put himself back […]

Israel Adesanya

Israel Adesanya has chimed in on the recent social media beef between his teammate, countryman, and friend, Dan Hooker, and his long-time rival, Jon Jones.

The former UFC light-heavyweight champion has been receiving flack from fighters and fans around the world ever since he was arrested on domestic violence charges back in September. Jones put himself back in the firing line last week when he reacted to Chael Sonnen’s recent arrest and suggested that ‘The American Gangster’ was apprehended for the same crime.

It has since come to light that Sonnen was in fact protecting his wife and may have beaten up five people in the process.

Upon hearing of Sonnen’s heroics, Hooker took to social media to throw a dig at Jones.

“Imagine beating up 5 people and not one of them is your wife,” Hooker tweeted. “(JJones (Jon Jones) rn (mindblowing emoji)

On Christmas day, Jones fired back at the New Zealander.

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

Dan Hooker & Israel Adesanya Respond To Jones’ Latest Tweet

‘The Hangman’ didn’t take Jones’ comment lying down and was quick to fire back at the disgraced MMA legend.

“I was triggered by your disingenuous attempt to bring attention to Chael’s situation,” Hooker wrote on Twitter. “He was arrested for defending his wife, you were arrested for assaulting yours. (apple & oranges emojis)”

“Life hack: if you don’t beat up your wife, family events will be more enjoyable. Merry Xmas bitch,” Hooker added.

Adesanya just couldn’t resist getting involved in the squabble. “I’m fun at family events!!” – Stylebender wrote in response to Hooker’s life hack comment.

Who are you backing in this social media beef? Israel Adesanya & Dan Hooker or Jon Jones?

Jon Jones Hits Back At Dan Hooker: ‘You Can’t Achieve Greatness’

Jon JonesJon Jones decided to fire back at Dan Hooker on Christmas day. The former UFC light-heavyweight champion has been receiving flack from fighters and fans around the world ever since he was arrested on domestic violence charges back in September. Jones put himself back in the firing line last week when he reacted to Chael […]

Jon Jones

Jon Jones decided to fire back at Dan Hooker on Christmas day.

The former UFC light-heavyweight champion has been receiving flack from fighters and fans around the world ever since he was arrested on domestic violence charges back in September. Jones put himself back in the firing line last week when he reacted to Chael Sonnen’s recent arrest and suggested that ‘The American Gangster’ was apprehended for the same crime.

It has since come to light that Sonnen was in fact protecting his wife and may have beaten up five people in the process. Upon hearing of Sonnen’s heroics, Hooker took to social media to throw a dig at Jones.

“Imagine beating up 5 people and not one of them is your wife,” Hooker tweeted. “(JJones (Jon Jones) rn (mindblowing emoji)

Jon Jones Suggests Dan Hooker Is Jealous Of Him

‘Bones’ waited for three days to hit back at Hooker who he seems to think is attacking him out of jealously. Jones compared his achievements to ‘The Hangman’ rather than directly addressing the comment referencing his domestic abuse arrest.

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

Do you think Jon Jones has a point? Is Dan Hooker attacking him out of jealousy?

Dan Hooker Fires Barb At Jon Jones Amid Chael Sonnen’s Battery Charges

Dan HookerUFC lightweight contender, Dan Hooker has taken time to fire a barb toward former two-time undisputed light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, amid the detaining and charging of UFC alum, Chael Sonnen earlier this week, in which he was issued five citations for battery following an alleged incident in Las Vegas, Nevada. Reports emerged earlier this […]

Dan Hooker

UFC lightweight contender, Dan Hooker has taken time to fire a barb toward former two-time undisputed light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones, amid the detaining and charging of UFC alum, Chael Sonnen earlier this week, in which he was issued five citations for battery following an alleged incident in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Reports emerged earlier this week, detailing how former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight title challenger, Sonnen, had been detained at a hotel in Las Vegas by responding law enforcement officers, following an alleged physical altercation in the hallway outside of a hotel room. 

Sonnen was escorted off the property of the Luxor Hotel after law enforcement officers responded to an alleged altercation on Saturday last, and issued a battery citation for five individual victims. 

“Sonnen was issued a battery citation for each individual victim, then escorted off property,” Las Vegas Police Public Information Officer, Larry Hadfield said in a statement released to MMA Fighting. “Due to the fact the misdemeanours were committed outside of a police officer’s presence, an arrest was not conducted.”

Initial reports detailed how Sonnen was allegedly “banging on the door of a hotel room”, before engaging in a physical altercation with a couple in the hallway of the Luxor Hotel. 

At the time of publication, Sonnen is yet to release a statement addressing his detaining or the five battery charges brought against him.

UFC heavyweight alum, Brendan Schaub jumped to the defense of Sonnen recently, claiming that the now-retired analyst was protecting his longtime wife, and maintained the alleged incident was not similar in any way to past-foe, Jon Jones’ September 24. arrest in Nevada.

“Here’s what happend,” Schaub said on his podcast. “Chael Sonnen was obviously working and he was with his wife and his wife is a f*cking saint and also a dime piece. And some drunk guy with his girl kept making comments about his (Sonnen’s) wife, saying about her t*ts, her a**, right in front of him. Well, play stupid games, win stupid prizes.”

“Because you are talking and disrespecting one of the toughest guys on the planet and definitely one of the toughest ever to compete in the UFC or Bellator for that matter,” Schaub continued. “And you’re doing it in front of his face, then there’s gonna be repercussions.”

Responding to the charges brought against Sonnen, his past opponent, Jones claimed he would not mock him for his detaining, as well as wishing his family well in a backhanded post on his social media.

“Chael Sonnen, I’m not gonna sit here and celebrate you getting battery charges against a female last night,” Jones tweeted. “That would make me like you, and I’m nothing like you. Instead, I will wish your family well, I wish the victims (sic) family well.”

Jon Jones recently seen a battery domestic violence brought against him dropped following a September arrest

Jones was charged with a misdemeanour battery charge, allegedly against his longtime fiancée, Jessie Moses amid his aforenoted September 24., last, arrest, before that charge was eventually dropped after the Albuquerque resident reached a plea deal with Nevada prosecutors — leading to a response from Dan Hooker.

Reacting to the five battery charges brought against Sonnen, the above mentioned Auckland fan favorite, Dan Hooker, fired a barb at Jones amid his most recent arrest.

“Imagine beating up 5 people and not one of them is your wife,” Dan Hooker tweeted. “(JJones (Jon Jones) rn (mindblowing emoji)

As a Twitter user pointed out, the battery domestic violence charge against Jones was dropped, however, Hooker claimed that if he simply assaulted someone and they neglected to press charges, he ultimately still assaulted them .

“If I punch you and you don’t press charges, does that mean I didn’t punch you?” Dan Hooker tweeted.

Jon Jones Fires Back At Dan Hooker: “You Can’t Achieve Greatness”

Jon Jones has offered a harsh response to Dan Hooker following “The Hangman’s” comments three days ago.

Earlier this week, Hooker threw a bit of shade in the direction of Jon Jones after the former light heavyweight king’s comments on Chael Sonnen…

Jon Jones, Dan Hooker

Jon Jones has offered a harsh response to Dan Hooker following “The Hangman’s” comments three days ago.

Earlier this week, Hooker threw a bit of shade in the direction of Jon Jones after the former light heavyweight king’s comments on Chael Sonnen’s recent brush with the law.

When Jon Jones was arrested for battery domestic violence of his fiancée in September, one of the people to weigh in on the matter, as expected, was Chael P. Sonnen.

Sonnen has become one of the most vocal figures of MMA about any trending topic in the sport, but perhaps no subject has been more extensively covered by Sonnen than all things Jon Jones.

The relationship between Sonnen and Jones has gradually deteriorated in the years after they coached The Ultimate Fighter together in 2013, which culminated in Jones blocking “The Bad Guy” on Twitter earlier this year.

Jones apparently was unpleased with what Sonnen had to say about his latest arrest, which prompted “Bones” to immediately chime in after Sonnen was issued multiple battery citations in Las Vegas over the weekend.

“It’s funny how the people who criticize and judge you the most have some of the nastiest things in their closet. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. You’ll get no stones from me, good luck,” Jones posted in one of the pair of tweets he submitted Sunday.

Sonnen himself has yet to respond to Jones or even address the matter of his arrest at all as of this writing. In fact, thus far the only account we have at the moment is an uncorroborated one from Brendan Schaub, who claimed Sonnen’s battery citations were a result of defending his wife from five harassers.

Wednesday, Dan Hooker came across a story that covered Schaub’s version of what took place over the weekend with Sonnen, and he appeared to throw shade at Jones when retweeting the article.

“Imagine beating up 5 people and not one of them is your wife. (JJones RN),” Hooker posted along with a “mind blown” emoji.

The full details of Chael Sonnen’s Las Vegas incident remain unclear and it remains a developing story. Saturday, however, Jones’ response had nothing to do with the original subject matter of Sonnen and was instead targeted at firing a direct shot at Hooker.

Jon Jones Responds To Dan Hooker By Roasting His Career

If there is one thing MMA fans have learned about Jon Jones over the years it’s that he is never shy about replying to his critics, whether it’s fans or any of his peers, regardless of weight class or current activity status. Furthermore, his responses are liable to come at any given moment, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even in the middle of Christmas day.

In-between the holiday festivities at the Jones household, the former light heavyweight king managed to step away from his loved ones to fire the following retort at the “Hangman.”

“@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.”

The domestic violence charges against Jones were dismissed last week following a plea deal, which included the completion of anger management counseling. Jones has denied assaulting his fiancée.

As Jones alluded to in his response, Hooker has had his share of struggles in the Octagon, specifically in his most recent fights. Hooker has gone 1-3 in his last four bouts, prompting him to try his luck back down at featherweight in 2022.

What do you make of Jon Jones’ response to Dan Hooker?

Continue Reading Jon Jones Fires Back At Dan Hooker: “You Can’t Achieve Greatness” at MMA News.

Dan Hooker Wants To Make Featherweight Return Against Brian Ortega

Dan Hooker wants one of the featherweight division’s biggest challenges for his return to the weight class.

Hooker recently revealed that he asked UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby to face Brian Ortega for his first featherweight fight since 2016. This co…

Dan Hooker and Brian Ortega (Photo Credits: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC & Zuffa LLC)

Dan Hooker wants one of the featherweight division’s biggest challenges for his return to the weight class.

Hooker recently revealed that he asked UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby to face Brian Ortega for his first featherweight fight since 2016. This conversation took place at UFC 269, where Hooker was cornering teammate Kai Kara-France.

Hooker, a regular at lightweight, recently had a successful practice weight cut at featherweight. He posted his successful attempt on Instagram, showing that he was able to meet the 146-pound limit.

Hooker claimed he wanted to join the division with a fight against The Korean Zombie. However, after he was informed that Zombie is injured, he shifted his focus to the two-time title challenger.

“After Kai’s win, [I saw] Sean Shelby on the way out, and that’s the first time I’ve heard from him since the featherweight [post online],” said Hooker in an interview with The Mac Life. “He’s obviously seen it, and he was like, ‘Well, what are you going to do? 55, 45?’ I said yeah, 45. I can make 45 quite comfortably if I get something good. He goes, ‘Who do you want?’ I said ‘Korean Zombie,’ but he’s injured. What about Ortega? He goes, ‘Oh, I’ll have a look. I’ll send you a list.’ I was amped up.” (h/t MMA Junkie)

Potential Fight Gives Hooker & Ortega A Chance To Rebound

Dan Hooker
Dan Hooker (Image Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Dan Hooker’s UFC run initially started at featherweight, competing six times in the weight class from 2014 to 2016. He later shifted to lightweight, where he has competed for his last 12 appearances.

Hooker is planning to drop down a weight class after fighting against some of the top names at lightweight. Over the past year, he has faced former Bellator Champion Michael Chandler and rising lightweight contender Islam Makhachev.

A potential bout against Ortega gives both fighters a chance to bounce back after recently facing defeat. Ortega notably lost a title fight earlier this year, dropping a decision to divisional champ Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 266.

Who do you want Dan Hooker to face in his featherweight debut?

Continue Reading Dan Hooker Wants To Make Featherweight Return Against Brian Ortega at MMA News.