Tag: Dan Hooker

While he doesn’t have a particular name in mind, UFC veteran Dan Hooker expects his next fight to come in familiar circumstances.

When he does return to the Octagon, Hooker will be hoping to rebound form the worst run of form in his career to date. Having fallen to defeats against Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler, and Islam Makhachev in the past couple of years, “The Hangman” decided to return to featherweight this year.

His search for the Hooker of old brought the New Zealander to Arnold Allen’s doorstep, with the pair colliding in the co-main event of UFC London in March. Having decided it was a night to throw down, Hooker traded leather with “Almighty” from the start.

Marking his fourth loss in five bouts, Hooker was finished inside the opening round for the second consecutive appearance. Being a fan of the brawler is not an easy ride, and the next loop on it will seemingly see him return to 155 pounds.

But despite his recent form, Hooker isn’t planning massive changes to his approach.

While he’s open to following the kind of technical and strategic gameplan that secured him victory over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266, the New Zealander doesn’t expect to adjust his willingness to fight anyone and everyone.

Losing skid or not, the motto remains ‘bring one, bring them all’.

Being Ducked? Call “The Hangman”

During a recent appearance on Submission Radio, Hooker discussed his recent woes and his next steps inside the cage.

While he could confirm that there won’t be a sophomore appearances for his second stint at featherweight, Hooker couldn’t provide any potential names for his next lightweight outing.

However, the 32-year-old is expecting a similar sort of scenario that brought him to the doors of the debuting Chandler in January 2021 and rising Dagestani phenom Makhachev on short notice last October.

“It’ll be whoever it’s gonna be. Obviously, I have my inklings, but it’ll be like all those other situations,” said Hooker. “You run back and you look at who I’ve fought, you just look at the division and you ask yourself, ‘Who don’t people wanna fight?’ And that’s who I’ll probably end up fighting. Who’s getting turned down left, right, and center? That’s who I’ll fight next. So you can take a look at the division, ask yourself, ‘Who doesn’t anyone wanna fight?’ That’s the guy.

“That’s why I’m not that fussed about—I can get back in the mix. I can get back in the mix in a heartbeat,” added Hooker. “You can’t count a dog like me out of the game. It’s just not how it works.”

Whoever he shares the cage with next, fans of the entertaining New Zealander will be hoping to see him return to winning ways and make his way back into the mix at 155 pounds.

Who would you like to see Dan Hooker face when he returns to action?

Continue Reading Hooker On Potential Next Opponent: “Who Doesn’t Anyone Wanna Fight?” at MMA News.

After falling short in his return to featherweight at UFC London, Dan Hooker is refocusing his attention on a run at 155 pounds.

Hooker has lost four of his last five fights in the Octagon, including most recently against Arnold Allen in March. After losses in three of his last four fights at lightweight, Hooker attempted to move back down to 145 pounds in hopes of a potential title run.

Those hopes were squashed by Allen, as he finished Hooker midway through the first round of action. It was Hooker’s first fight at 145 pounds in almost six years.

As Hooker looks to rebuild his game and work to get back in the win column, he’s returning to his old stomping grounds in the lightweight division to do so.

During a recent interview with Submission Radio, Hooker shut down the idea of attempting another fight at featherweight.

“Oh, f*** no, I couldn’t make featherweight if I wanted to,” Hooker said. “I’m closer to middleweight than I am to featherweight. I felt like I could’ve stayed at 145, but obviously a lot of sacrifice goes into that. But off of the result of the last fight, I feel like I’m in the exact same position at both weight classes. So why not? Why would I make the extra sacrifice? The extra sacrifice was to get me back in the same position that I was in. But if I’m in the exact same position [as I’m in at lightweight], I’d rather be in the exact same position and eating, and having a slice of cake every now and then.

“Put a fork in it, bud, I’m out of the conversation [at featherweight].” (h/t MMA Fighting)

Hooker has been honest about why he feels his recent struggles have occurred. He’s cited arrogance on his part as a big reason for his losses and is working on the mental side of fighting ahead of his return.

Before his losing skid, Hooker had been on a roll with three-straight lightweight victories over the likes of Paul Felder and Al Iaquinta. He also earned finishes over Gilbert Burns and Jim Miller as he began his rise at 155 pounds.

Hooker is anticipating a return later this year as he aims to get back into title contention in the UFC.

Who do you want to see Dan Hooker fight in his return?

Continue Reading Dan Hooker Shuts The Door On Featherweight Return, Focused On 155 at MMA News.

UFC veteran Dan Hooker will be returning to competition at lightweight after his most recent outing at UFC London

Dan Hooker has become a reliable man for the UFC who is willing to step inside the cage against anyone at almost any notice. “Hangman” has become a fan favorite over the years with wins over former welterweight title challenger Gilbert Burns, Paul Felder, James Vick, and Al Iaquinta between 2018 and 2020.

Unfortunately, Hooker has not found the same form since and went on to drop four fights in his last five with his only win coming against Nasrat Haqparast. Out of those four losses, he was finished in three in a rather convincing fashion.

Based on the results of his recent performances, Hooker was hoping a return to featherweight would turn things around for him as he set his eyes on challenging for the title. Those plans seem to have fizzled out after Arnold Allen defeated Hooker by punches and elbows.

In an interview with Submission Radio, Dan Hooker spoke about his plans to return to lightweight after competing at featherweight against Arnold Allen earlier in March this year at UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall.

“Had a couple of weeks off and then stepped on a scale and I was just like ohhhh sheesh, we ain’t going back,” said Hooker. ““I’m closer to middleweight than I am to featherweight. I felt like I could’ve stayed at 145, but obviously a lot of sacrifice goes into that. Why would I make the extra sacrifice? If I’m in the exact same position, I’d rather be in the exact same position and eating and having a slice of cake every now and then. Put a fork in it, bud, I’m out of the [featherweight] conversation.” (h/t MMA Mania)

Dan Hooker is in no rush for his next fight

Having fought four times in just over a year since the start of 2021, Dan Hooker is in no rush to return to action soon. He’s currently ranked 13 at 155 lbs and looks to be quite a bit further away from title contention. Being as active as he is, some time off could benefit the 32-year-old fighter who may just need to give his body more time to recover.

“I’m just chilling,” said Hooker. “I should have a good amount of time off. I should just have a good reset. Like, that’s one thing I realized as well, I’ve just been kind of chasing my tail the last couple of years. I’ve just put the shovel down. I’m still in like shovel down mode. I’m thinking, fuck, how do I get out of this situation. We’ll see. Maybe when the UFC comes a little bit closer. I can get back in the mix, I can get back in the mix in a heartbeat. You can’t count a dog like me out of the game. Like, that’s just not how it works.”

Hooker did respond to Rafael dos Anjos’s callout on Twitter for a fight in July or August of this year. RDA tweeted asking his competition if anyone would like to go against him in the next fight and was not impressed by Hooker’s response as he seeks a higher-ranked opponent.

Would you like to see RDA fight Dan Hooker next?