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Dan Hooker reveals offer to fight Charles Oliveira at UFC 305 in Perth: ‘Let’s see if he takes the cake’

Dan Hooker reveals Charles Oliveira fight in the works for UFC 305 let's see if he takes the cake Perennial lightweight contender, Dan Hooker has revealed a fight with former division champion, Charles Oliveira has been sounded out…

Perennial lightweight contender, Dan Hooker has revealed a fight with former division champion, Charles Oliveira has been sounded out for a UFC 305 card in Perth, Australia – claiming he is “100% in” to fight the Brazilian next.

Hooker, the current number eleven ranked division contender, has been sidelined since he featured at UFC 290 back the summer of last year, landing a decision win over Jalin Turner in a short-notice reworked clash.

As for former undisputed lightweight champion, Oliveira, the promotion’s most prolific submission and knockout artist, featured at UFC 300 back in April, suffering a close, controversial split decision win over current number one contender, Arman Tsarukyan.

Dan Hooker claims Charles Oliveira fight is in the works for UFC 305

And confirming plans to feature at the RAC Arena in a return ‘Downunder’ – amid the confirmation of a UFC 305 headliner featuring Dricus du Plessis and City Kickboxing training partner, Israel Adesanya in a middleweight title fight – Hooker confirmed his own comeback is still in the works.

Dan Hooker mocks BMF title return I'd put it under the bed or something — Mandatory Credit: Zuffa LLC

“I’m not really sure I can say anything,” Dan Hooker told Fox Sports Australia during a recnet interview. “There’s nothing official, but obviously I’m a hundred percent in and – the old ‘Charlie Olives’ (Charles Oliveira).”

“I think that’s the fight the fans here over this side of the world would love to see, but yeah, let’s see if he takes the ake and signs on the dotted line.”

Kiwi striker, Hooker’s revelation of a targeted fight with fan-favorite finisher, Oliveira in his return to the Octagon comes hot on the heels of a recent call out of the Brazilian by his own training partner, Alexander Volkanovski – who labelled a potential clash an “exciting” showdown.

Alex Pereira defends Charles Oliveira after UFC 300 loss Nobody knows what he's going through — Mandatory Credit: Cooper Neil

“So, if there is no title fight until next year [for me] then I need something exciting – maybe Charles Oliveira,” Alexander Volkanovski explained. “There are others but I think Michael Chandler will keep waiting for Conor McGregor and I think Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje also want to wait a bit. There is nobody [at featherweight] that excites me, or that I haven’t fought already. And they’ve said my next one there is the title fight.”

Who wins in a potential future fight: Dan Hooker or Charles Oliveira?

Dan Hooker is down for a BMF title eliminator fight with Bobby Green: ‘I owe it to the fans’

Dan Hooker is down for a BMF title fight, so long as he gets to go through Bobby Green…

Dan Hooker is down for a BMF title fight, so long as he gets to go through Bobby Green first.

With back-to-back wins over Claudio Puelles and Jalin Turner in his last two outings, ‘The Hangman’ is looking to make a summertime return against a big name in the lightweight division.

Speaking with Hyon Ko of The Allstar, Hooker spoke about a potential clash with Beneil Dariush, but if he gets his wish, the UFC will rebook his previously scheduled scrap with 155-pound standout ‘King’ Bobby Green.

Furthermore, Hooker believes that such an electrifying fight could serve as a potential BMF title eliminator.

“You need a BMF [title] eliminator. That’s why I was originally calling for the [Bobby] Green fight,” Hooker said. “That’s originally what it was to the fans. I suggested that like it was a BMF eliminator and there weren’t any fans who had any counterarguments to that. Me and Green would be a heck of a fight. I owe it to the fans and I would love to step in and compete against him and line myself up for the BMF belt.

“After his performance against Jim Miller at UFC 300, Bobby Green’s stock is right back to where it deserves to be and if nothing comes together for International Fight Week, Green’s got two arms and two legs, brother, so he fits the bill, but I’d love to bring him down to Perth and do that one at home. That’ll be cool.”

Dan Hooker Slams Ilia Topuria’s BMF Title Demands

The BMF title currently resides with Max Holloway after ‘Blessed’ delivered the highlight of the night at UFC 300, dispatching Justin Gaethje with an epic buzzer-beating knockout. Following the win, Holloway’s stock rose massively, making him a viable contender in two different divisions.

Asked about his thoughts on Holloway’s last-second KO, Dan Hooker admitted to being blown away by the moment. He also took a dig at Ilia Topuria’s recent BMF title demands, saying:

“Absolutely wild. That’s the danger of the sport. For Max to have it in the bag and put it all on the line, that’s BMF sh*t, you know what I mean? If there’s a ‘but’ in your statement, you’ve immediately disqualified yourself from the BMF conversation. It’s gone over your head if you have to say, ‘I’ll fight him, but…’ If there’s any ifs, buts, or maybes, you’ve disqualified yourself.”

Dan Hooker calls for June fight with UFC foe Renato Moicano: ‘Son, I’ve dedicated my life to the smoke’

Perennial lightweight contender, Dan Hooker has called for a June return to the Octagon later this year, welcoming the…

Perennial lightweight contender, Dan Hooker has called for a June return to the Octagon later this year, welcoming the chance to stand opposite Brazilian favorite, Renato Moicano in his comeback to the UFC – warning the latter that he’s ready for all comers in his return.

Hooker, the current number ten ranked lightweight contender, has been sidelined since her featured at UFC 290 during International Fight Week back in July of last year, landing a close, come-from-behind decision win over Jalin Turner in a surefire Fight of the Year contender.

The victory came as New Zealand striker, Hooker’s second consecutively, with a prior win over Peruvian grappler, Claudio Puelles via a nasty body kick KO win returning the Kiwi to the winner’s enclosure following a two-fight losing skid.

And as for Moicano, the surging challenger is also himself in the midst of a two-fight winning spree, turned in a decision win over lightweight knockout kingpin, Drew Dober earlier this month – returning to the Octagon for the first time in two years following a submission win over Hooker’s compatriot, Brad Riddell.

Dan Hooker calls for June fight with Renato Moicano

Responding to a recent jibe from Moicano, Hooker warned the Brazilian that he’s more than ready to share the Octagon with him next – weighing up a potential showdown soon as June in his return to the UFC.

“Yeah I saw it today, I clicked on it – I called out (Renato) Moicano,” Dan Hooker told Sky Sports during a recent interview. “I just said, that’s gonna be a good fight and I’ve been a fan – he’s made a fan of me – not from his fights, laying on top of Drew Dober for three rounds doesn’t get me as a fan.”

“…He goes, ‘You don’t want the smoke,’” Dan Hooker explained. “I’m like, ‘Son, I’ve dedicated my life to the smoke.’ I said, of course we can fight, and we can fight in June, Moicano, me and you can get it down in June. How about that, brother?”

Would you like to see Dan Hooker make a June return against Renato Moicano?

Israel Adesanya ‘Was stepping up to fight’ at UFC 300 prior to booking of Pereira – Hill title headliner

UFC lightweight Dan Hooker claims that Israel Adesanya was prepared to step in and fight at UFC 300. Following…

UFC lightweight Dan Hooker claims that Israel Adesanya was prepared to step in and fight at UFC 300.

Following his shock loss to Sean Strickland, it appeared that Adesanya was going to take some time away from the sport in what would be his first real break after an active combat career across both MMA and kickboxing.

However, after posting some training clips and rumbling began of a return it seemed Israel Adesanya had a change of heart. In fact, teammate and pal, Hooker, claims that the former UFC middleweight champion was preparing to comeback for UFC 300 to face bitter rival, Du Plessis.

Israel Adesanya was set to fight at UFC 300, according to Dan Hooker

“It’s a good fight they scratched together,” Hooker told Sky Sports New Zealand. “I want to know, I want Dana to come out and say that what had all gone on behind the scenes. Because as far as I knew, Israel was stepping up to fight in that 300 slot.

“He’s (Adesanya) continued to stay in the gym and stay healthy and stay training very hard, so I would anticipate him getting another fight booked pretty soon.”

The UFC were desperate to put together a solid UFC 300 main event and the promotion appeared to like the idea of Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya. However, the champion said he would be unable to make the date after a hard-fought five-rounds with Du Plessis in January. Hooker believes that Du Plessis was unwilling to risk his position but couldn’t really blame him for doing so.

“I feel like Dricus, that was going to be a big ask after the five rounds he had with Strickland, he took a lot of damage in that Strickland fight,” Hooker said. “And yeah, he turned the title fight down before. He was supposed to fight Israel in Sydney when [Izzy] fought Strickland. But he had, like, a niggle, he had an injury, and he wasn’t prepared to take that risk.”

“I was not surprised at all that he wasn’t prepared to rush back and take that risk for UFC 300. Can I criticize him for it? I can’t really, cuz it worked out in his favour the last time. He’s now the one walking around with the title. So can I criticize? ‘You should want to fight at UFC 300 with half a training camp!’ I can’t, I can’t criticize him.”

Who wins, Israel Adesanya or Dricus Du Plessis?

UFC Contender believes Islam Makhachev would rather retire than rematch arman tsarukyan: ‘There’s too much risk’

Dan Hooker believes Islam Makhachev would rather follow in the footsteps of his mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and retire from…

Dan Hooker believes Islam Makhachev would rather follow in the footsteps of his mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and retire from the sport of MMA before being matched up with rising contender Arman Tsarukyan.

Since capturing the 155-pound crown at UFC 280, the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ has defended his title twice, both times against current featherweight king, Alexander Volkanovski. With ‘The Great’ now firmly in his rearview, Makhachev is gearing up for his next big challenge. As it stands, there are a handful of viable contenders vying for the opportunity, including Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, and Dustin Poirier.

However, if you peel back the curtain a bit more, you’ll find another emerging contender that could very well hold the key to ending Makhachev’s title reign. Riding a three-fight win streak, Arman Tsarukyan revealed himself as one of the division’s top talents with a brutal 64-second knockout of Beneil Dariush in December.

Dariush had no interest in differentiating his defensive approach (a high guard) when faced with straight punching. Tsarukyan could read this within a minute to find the finish pic.twitter.com/8i6Q1ykoCU

— Ted (@tedbratby) December 3, 2023

Tsarukyan has come a long way since coming up short in his promotional debut in 2019 which, ironically, came against none other than Islam Makhachev. Their history would certainly add a level of intrigue to a potential lightweight title tilt, but Hooker doesn’t see the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ hanging around long enough to run it back with the Armenian.

“Yeah, they had a pretty close fight in the first one,” said Hooker during an appearance on The MMA Hour. “Yeah, he could beat him. He’s not going to fight him. I guarantee he’ll retire by the time Arman gets there, for sure. It’s too risky, there’s too much risk. There’s too many other easier fights out there that he’d rather fight. There’s easier fights out there, stylistically.”

Will Fans pay to see Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan 2?

Dan Hooker also questioned whether or not fight fans would be willing to pay a premium price to watch an event headlined by a Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan rematch.

“There are bigger names,” Hooker continued. “No one’s going to buy an Arman Tsarukyan pay-per-view. No one’s tuning in to the press conference. No one’s giving $80 for the pay-per-view. You’d rather watch Islam fight McGregor or Gaethje or something like that.”

With a majority of the lightweight top 10 angling for big-money fights and title opportunities, Hooker may be the one to bite the bullet and accept a fight with Tsarukyan once he’s medically cleared to return.

“I don’t like the guy, I think he’s an idiot,” Hooker added. “I think he’s annoying. Can he fight? A hundred percent. That’s why he’s a very talented young fighter, but he’s just annoying. He’s just a dweeb. I just don’t like him” (h/t Bloody Elbow)

Comeback Of The Year – LowKick MMA 2023 Awards

With a year full of fantastic comeback victories, only one could walk away as the favorite among the LowKick…

With a year full of fantastic comeback victories, only one could walk away as the favorite among the LowKick MMA crew.

With six different bouts receiving nominations, it was perhaps this year’s closest vote, but in the end, Dan Hooker’s impressive split decision comeback over division standout Jalin Turner at UFC 290 was the victor with three total nominations.

Comeback of the year – dan hooker vs. jalin turner – UFC 290 – (3 Votes)

From the moment the bout was first announced, fight fans pegged Hooker vs. Turner as the Fight of the Night. Needless to say, the contest did not disappoint as the heart of Hooker weathered the incredibly violent storm of Turner to walk away with a split decision.

After a solid first round, ‘The Hangman’ found himself in some serious trouble after eating a nasty head kick from Turner in the second stanza. Biting down on his mouthpiece, Hooker returned fire and forced Turner to retreat and had his opponent dead to rights with a rear-naked choke in the round’s final seconds. The only thing that saved Turner from certain defeat was the bell.

Honorable Mentions:

C.J. Vergara vs. Daniel da Silva – UFC san Antonio – (1 vote)

C.J. Vergara narrowly survived the first round against Daniel da Silva but proved he had plenty of stamina as he pounded out his opponent en route to scoring one of the biggest comebacks of 2023.

In the opening round, Vergara ate a clean wheel kick from da Silva that had him literally running away from his opponent inside the Octagon. Surviving an early onslaught, Vergara bounced back in the second round, landing a series of ground-and-pound strikes that forced the referee to step in and call for the stoppage with less than a minute to go in the round, giving fans an unforgettable comeback.

Edson Barboza vs. Sodiq Yusuff – UFC Vegas 81 – (1 Vote)

Beloved veteran Edson Barboza got off to a rocky start when he stepped into the main event spotlight for a clash with Sodiq Yusuff. ‘Super’ badly wobbled Barboza in the first exchange of the fight and repeatedly stunned him with a series of boxing combinations. A finish appeared to be imminent, but a takedown by Yusuff slowed the fight and gave Barboza the time he needed to recover.

Barboza found his footing in the second round and officially turned the tide in the third, landing one of his signature spinning wheel kicks. Barboza was unable to capitalize on the moment, but he was able to carry that momentum into the final two rounds, walking away with a unanimous decision after surrendering a 10-8 in the first. It was a comeback for the ages from one of the UFC’s most tenured talents.

Mike Breeden vs. Anshul Jubli – UFC 294 – (1 vote)

Anshul Jubli came out guns blazing and put on a spirited fight in his promotional debut at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi. After taking the first two rounds with an onslaught of offense, Anshul was seemingly headed for a win. However, Breeden came out for the final round with a vengeance.

Barking like a dog, Breeden amped up the aggression and landed a series of heavy-handed shots that had his opponent backpedaling in an attempt to survive. With two minutes to go in the round, Breeden cracked Jubli with a stiff right hand that sent his opponent crashing to the canvas. Clearly compromised, the referee called for the stoppage, giving fans one of the most exciting come-from-behind victories of the year.

Mike Breeden stops Anshul Jubli!!

pic.twitter.com/lirDUBEsxp

— MMA Mania (@mmamania) October 21, 2023

Elves Brener vs. Guram Kutateladze – UFC Vegas 76 – (1 vote)

Elves Brener entered the matchup with Guram Kutateladze as a sizeable underdog, but the Brazilian ended up scoring the most significant victory of his career after a wild back-and-forth scrap.

Brener came out looking to play spoiler with a couple of solid takedowns in the opening round, but it was the chopping leg kicks of Kutateladze followed by a huge flurry of strikes to close out the first. The second frame began with the Georgian opening up a huge cut on the forehead of Brener. Undeterred by the sight of his own blood, Brener continued to walk down Kutateladze with a variety of combinations.

Brener connected with a big left hook that had his opponent curled up against the fence in the third round before some follow-up punches ended the contest.

Rodolfo Bellato vs. ihor Potieria – UFC Austin (1 vote)

After a fast-paced opening round between the two light heavyweight standouts, Potieria landed some major damage in the early stages of the second round, dropping Bellato and putting the fight on the cusp of being stopped. However, Bellato refused to quit and managed to get back to his feet.

Potieria was understandably exhausted after failing to secure the finish which allowed Bellato to pour on the punishment in the second. Bellato landed a takedown, moved to mount, and unloaded a series of strikes until referee Jacob Montalvo stepped in and stopped the bout at the 4:17 mark of Round 2, paving the way for another epic comeback in 2023.

Which comeback of 2023 was your favorite?

Full List Of The LowKick MMA 2023 Comeback Of The Year Votes:

Ross Markey: Dan Hooker
Ian Shutts: Dan Hooker
Murdo Todd: Elves Brenner
Craig Pekios: Edson Barboza
Makoa Goble: Rodolfo Bellato
Tony King: Dan Hooker
Red Pill MMA: Carlston Harris
Michael Owens: C.J. Vergara
Danny Podolsky: Mike Breedan