Dan Hooker reveals ideal date and potential opponents for his comeback fight from injury

Dan Hooker is getting close to a return to the Octagon.

Hooker is currently ranked 10th at lightweight and hasn’t fought since July of 2023, when he beat Jalin Turner by split decision. In the fight, he broke his arm but was able to rehab it enough to get booked to face Bobby Green this past December. However, shortly before the fight, he suffered another injury to his arm and had to pull out of the bout and has been rehabbing ever since.

Now, Dan Hooker says he’s nearly been cleared and is circling International Fight Week on June 29 as his return date.

“I’ll be able to get back into the gym in the next couple of weeks and be training at 100 percent. I have my eyes on June, the June International Fight Week. I fought on the last International Fight Week so that would be a full, I think that would be 11 months come June,” Hooker said to Sky Sports New Zealand.

If Dan Hooker can return at International Fight Week, he has two names in mind for his return. The hope for the Kiwi is to face Rafael Fiziev if he is healthy by then or Renato Moicano, as he believes both would be fun fights for him and for the fans.

“We will see. I always look at the rankings and go who does no one want to fight. I think Fiziev, no one wants to fight Fiziev, so who has probably done enough to put his hand up for that fight, the guy over here,” Hooker said. “There are a lot of exciting fights, Moicano is coming off a big win, I think I can get that fight in a heartbeat. I’d be happy with that Moicano fight, it’s an exciting fight and he’s won me over as a fan.”

Dan Hooker is currently 23-12 and on a two-fight winning streak. Before the split decision win over Turner, he scored a decision win over Claudio Puelles after a TKO loss to Arnold Allen in his return to featherweight.