Tag: Islam Makhachev

Dan Hooker: Islam Makhachev Has ‘Definite Skilled,’ But ‘They All Bleed’

Dan Hooker stepped up to fight the lightweight boogeyman, Islam Makhachev, on short notice, but he is supremely confident. It seems like practically nobody wants to fight Makhachev except Hooker, who has called out the Dagestani prospect for a while. It still came as a shock when it was revealed that Dan stepped up on […]

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Dan Hooker stepped up to fight the lightweight boogeyman, Islam Makhachev, on short notice, but he is supremely confident.

It seems like practically nobody wants to fight Makhachev except Hooker, who has called out the Dagestani prospect for a while. It still came as a shock when it was revealed that Dan stepped up on short notice to replace Rafael Dos Anjos and fight Islam at UFC 267, just one month after beating Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266.

Speaking to The Mac Life ahead of this fight, “The Hangman” made it clear that he is not intimidated by the hype surrounding the Khabib Nurmagomedov protege. He made it clear that he knows how skilled Islam is, but he is not invincible.

“A bit of the Khabib mystique has rubbed off on him, and his last few performances have been pretty dominant. Like I’ve trained with Drew (Dober), and the way he fought Drew was pretty decisive. Even his last fight, like he came out there and (it) was a pretty dominant fight,” Hooker said.

“So there’s definite skill there… but I would love to be the first one to get out there and just make him look human. I know we all are, that’s the funny thing about it. People can say whatever they’re going to say, like ‘Oh, this guy’s unbeatable, this guy’s untouchable.’ I’ve been in the gym with these guys, they all bleed, they all get tired, they all get injured, they all get hurt. I know I can put anyone’s lights out.

“To everyone else, he’s kind of a mysterious character that’s got a lot of mystique and invincibility. To me, he’s just another body,” Hooker added.

It is undeniable that Dan Hooker has the most amount of confidence heading into this UFC 267 bout with Islam Makhachev. Then again, you have to be confident to make that quick of a turnaround.

Continue Reading Dan Hooker: Islam Makhachev Has ‘Definite Skilled,’ But ‘They All Bleed’ at MMA News.

Dan Hooker Expects Title Shot If He Beats Islam Makhachev

Dan HookerJust one week after picking up an impressive victory over Nasrat Hasquarat at UFC 266, Dan Hooker booked his next fight and it’s a really tough one. Hooker has agreed to fight Islam Makhachev at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi on October 30. The streaking Russian had been left without an opponent for the upcoming […]

Dan Hooker

Just one week after picking up an impressive victory over Nasrat Hasquarat at UFC 266, Dan Hooker booked his next fight and it’s a really tough one.

Hooker has agreed to fight Islam Makhachev at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi on October 30. The streaking Russian had been left without an opponent for the upcoming card after Rafael dos Anjos pulled out of their scheduled fight due to injury.

The New Zealander had a well-documented torrid time just making it to UFC 266. Hooker’s camp was largely conducted in his home due to lockdown rules. He didn’t get to Las Vegas until just two days before his fight due to VISA issues. Despite everything, Hooker made the lightweight limit and performed admirably over three rounds to take home a decision win.

Post-fight, Hooker revealed that he and the City Kickboxing team will be relocating from New Zealand to the United States in the near future. When this short-notice fight was put to him, Hooker only hesitated to clarify with his wife before accepting.

“I didn’t want to say yes and then have the missus find out on Twitter she’s moving countries,” Hooker told ESPN. “We’ll train here, shoot over to Abu Dhabi and get the job done, and come back to the U.S. Bring the family over, see what happens from there.”

Makhachev is currently riding an eight-fight win streak and has often been talked about as the heir to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s lightweight crown. Hooker says a win over such a talented and well-respected fighter should be enough to earn him a shot at UFC gold.

“I feel like this gives me a title shot,” Hooker said. “I feel everyone is trying to skate him to a title fight, and that’s mine if I beat him. I feel like I felt with the Michael Chandler fight [in January], when he went on to a title fight.”

The lightweight title is expected to be on the line later this year when Charles Oliveira squares off against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269 on December 11. ‘Do Bronx’ recently won the strap by stopping Michael Chandler inside two rounds following the Bellator veteran’s impressive UFC debut against Hooker.

Do you think Dan Hooker should get a title shot if he beats Islam Makhachev?

Dan Hooker Steps In To Fight Islam Makhachev At UFC 267

Dan Hooker will be stepping up on short notice as he will fight Islam Makhachev at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi. According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, who was told by Dana White, Hooker has agreed to face Makhachev on a month’s notice at UFC 267 on October 30 in Abu Dhabi. Of course, Makhachev was […]

Continue Reading Dan Hooker Steps In To Fight Islam Makhachev At UFC 267 at MMA News.

Dan Hooker will be stepping up on short notice as he will fight Islam Makhachev at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi.

According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, who was told by Dana White, Hooker has agreed to face Makhachev on a month’s notice at UFC 267 on October 30 in Abu Dhabi. Of course, Makhachev was supposed to fight Rafael dos Anjos but the Brazilian was forced out of the bout due to an injury.

The news is surprising to many as Hooker had to fly back this week to New Zealand to do his two-week quarantine and he has been vocal that there are no more rooms for the rest of the year. However, there is a chance he decided to not go back and will remain in Las Vegas for the next month to train. However, this is a fight many have wanted to see, as Makhachev fans have claimed Hooker was ducking him.

Islam Makhachev (20-1) is coming off his first UFC main event where he submitted Thiago Moises in the fourth round. Prior to that, he submitted Drew Dober at UFC 259. The Dagestani native is currently on an eight-fight winning streak and is 9-1 inside the Octagon with his lone loss coming at UFC 192 where he was knocked out by Adriano Martins.

Dan Hooker
Dan Hooker (Photo: Zuffa LLC)

Dan Hooker (21-10) returned to the win column just last weekend at UFC 266 as he beat Nasrat Haqparast. It was a hectic week for Hooker as he had visa issues and did not arrive until Thursday night for the fight. The victory snapped his two-fight losing skid where he suffered a first-round KO loss to Michael Chandler at UFC 257 and a five-round decision loss to Dan Hooker. Before the setbacks, he was on a three-fight winning streak where he beat Paul Felder, Al Iaquinta, and James Vick. He also holds notable wins over Gilbert Burns, Jim Miller, and Ross Pearson.

With the addition of Islam Makhachev vs. Dan Hooker, UFC 267 is as follows:

  • Light Heavyweight Title Bout: Jan Blachowicz (c) vs. Glover Teixeira
  • Interim Bantamweight Title: Petr Yan (c) vs. Cory Sandhagen
  • Magomed Ankalaev vs. Volkan Oezdemir
  • Islam Makhachev vs. Dan Hooker
  • Marcin Tybura vs. Alexander Volkov
  • Khamzat Chimaev vs. Li Jingliang
  • Shamil Gamzatov vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
  • Virna Jandiroba vs. Amanda Ribas
  • Ricardo Ramos vs. Zubaira Tukhugov
  • Damir Ismagulov vs. Magomed Mustafaev
  • Makwan Amirkhani vs. Lerone Murphy
  • Alen Amedovski vs. Hu Yaozong
  • Allan Nascimento vs. Tagir Ulanbekov
  • Albert Duraev vs. Roman Kopylov

Who do you think will win, Islam Makhachev or Dan Hooker?

Continue Reading Dan Hooker Steps In To Fight Islam Makhachev At UFC 267 at MMA News.

Dan Hooker Would ‘100 Percent’ Fight Islam Makhachev At UFC 267

Dan Hooker is down to fight Islam Makahchev at UFC 267 if his coach is to be believed. Hooker was seen in action this past Saturday night (Sept. 25). He competed on the preliminary portion of UFC 266. While getting to the United States proved to be a tough task for Hooker and his opponent, […]

Continue Reading Dan Hooker Would ‘100 Percent’ Fight Islam Makhachev At UFC 267 at MMA News.

Dan Hooker is down to fight Islam Makahchev at UFC 267 if his coach is to be believed.

Hooker was seen in action this past Saturday night (Sept. 25). He competed on the preliminary portion of UFC 266. While getting to the United States proved to be a tough task for Hooker and his opponent, Nasrat Haqparast, they were able to do it and made weight. In the end, it was “The Hangman” who took the unanimous decision win.

Fresh off a one-sided affair, many believe Hooker is the perfect dance partner for Makhachev. At the moment, Makhachev is in need of a new opponent for UFC 267 after Rafael dos Anjos bowed out due to an injury.

During a chat with the folks over at Submission Radio, Hooker’s coach Eugene Bareman said that his fighter wouldn’t hesitate to accept a bout with Makhachev.

“Dan will never ever refuse a fight no matter what the circumstance is. And not having a voucher and possibly staring down the barrel of being stuck over here for six months or even longer, will not make Dan refuse a fight if offered to him. As far as I know there’s no fights being offered yet, but if [UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby] calls us up I know 100 percent that Dan will take that fight. He will never refuse a fight, no matter who it’s against under what circumstances. Two days’ notice, one week’s notice, 12 weeks’ notice it doesn’t matter, he’d take it. So if that fight does swing our way, then 100 percent Dan will take it.”

Dan Hooker and Islam Makhachev have traded barbs on social media. Makhachev claimed Hooker was afraid to fight him back in 2020. “The Hangman” reminded Makahchev that he was busy with the likes of Dustin Poirier and Paul Felder.

Is Dan Hooker vs. Islam Makhachev the fight to make?

Continue Reading Dan Hooker Would ‘100 Percent’ Fight Islam Makhachev At UFC 267 at MMA News.

RDA/Makhachev UFC 267 Bout Canceled After Recent dos Anjos Surgery

Less than 24 hours after the UFC 267 co-main event between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan was lost, another main card bout between Rafael dos Anjos and Islam Makhachev has been canceled. It was revealed Sunday that former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos went under the knife for an arthroscopic procedure on his knee […]

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Less than 24 hours after the UFC 267 co-main event between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan was lost, another main card bout between Rafael dos Anjos and Islam Makhachev has been canceled.

It was revealed Sunday that former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos went under the knife for an arthroscopic procedure on his knee just two weeks ago. Naturally, this puts his bout against Islam Makhachev scheduled for October 30 in serious jeopardy. However, when informing Sherdog of this news, dos Anjos made it very clear that he had every intention of remaining on next month’s UFC 267 card.

“I’m already walking without crutches, in 10 days I need to be able to sparring,” dos Anjos said. “I’m a fighter; I always want to fight. We already told the UFC what happened. By the way, the UFC was great at paying for all my surgery expenses. But of course, I can’t decide alone. I have to hear from my trainer, my doctor and physiotherapist. We must take the final decision in one week.”

This isn’t the only surgery dos Anjos has undergone this year. The first one was six months ago for an abdominal hernia and was a much more critical issue. But despite what has thus far been a trying year, the Brazilian is used to facing difficulty head-on, whether it’s the inevitable health issues fighters struggle with or if it’s a challenging assignment like Islam Makhachev.

“For sure he is a pretty tough kid, but I never had a easy path,” dos Anjos said of Makhachev. “My history in that sport is always facing the toughest opponents of my division in their prime. I faced Ferguson coming from eight straight wins, Kamaru Usman and Khabib [Nurmagomedov] undefeated, Anthony Pettis coming from five straight wins, [Robbie] Lawler also in great shape. I’m a fighter, I love the most difficult tests, that’s why I really want to keep that fight.”

Dos Anjos/Makhachev Officially Canceled

Hours after the initial Sherdog report, MMA Junkie brought attention to the fact that the fight has indeed been canceled, with dos Anjos and Makhachev confirming as much in the following Twitter exchange:

“@RdosAnjosMMA I don’t believe that you’re injured.., again #chickenfever“

Here was dos Anjos’ reply:

“Do you really think I would fake a surgery? Coming out of another terrible injury. Unlike you I have a family that depends on me and I don’t have another man paying my bills.”

The UFC is currently actively seeking a replacement to fight Makhachev on the UFC 267 card on October 30.

We will keep you updated on Islam Makhachev’s status for UFC 267, so be sure to keep it locked right here on MMANews.com.

Continue Reading RDA/Makhachev UFC 267 Bout Canceled After Recent dos Anjos Surgery at MMA News.

Khabib Thinks Makhachev Can Do To RDA What No Man Has Done Before

Khabib Nurmagomedov believes his pupil can do what nobody else has been able to at UFC 267.  Nurmagomedov recently spoke to Russian media about the upcoming Islam Makhachev and Rafael dos Anjos bout. In the scrum, “The Eagle” admitted that dos Anj…

Khabib Nurmagomedov believes his pupil can do what nobody else has been able to at UFC 267.  Nurmagomedov recently spoke to Russian media about the upcoming Islam Makhachev and Rafael dos Anjos bout. In the scrum, “The Eagle” admitted that dos Anjos’ combat experience has him feeling eager for his colleague.  Yet, despite any anxiety […]

Continue Reading Khabib Thinks Makhachev Can Do To RDA What No Man Has Done Before at MMA News.