Dan Hooker News

Christopher Taylor - October 30, 2021

Daniel Cormier and Justin Gaethje were involved in a heated exchange on Twitter after ‘DC’ suggested Islam Makhachev should get a title fight. Makhachev (21-1 MMA) returned to action on today’s UFC 267 main card for a lightweight bout with perennial division contender Dan Hooker (21-11 MMA).

Chris Taylor - October 30, 2021

A key lightweight bout between perennial division contenders Islam Makhachev and Dan Hooker took place on today’s UFC 267 main card. Makhachev (21-1 MMA) had entered the contest on an eight-fight winning streak, his most previous win being a submission victory over Thiago Moises in July.

Chris Taylor - October 30, 2021

A key lightweight bout between perennial division contenders Islam Makhachev and Dan Hooker takes place on today’s UFC 267 main card. Makhachev (20-1 MMA) will enter the contest on an eight-fight winning streak, his latest being a submission win over Thiago Moises in July.

Adam D Martin - October 28, 2021

UFC lightweight Dan Hooker commented on the Islam Makhachev fight at UFC 267, saying that “this is his party. I’m just here to spoil it.” Hooker takes on Makhachev this Saturday at UFC 267 in what is one of the biggest fights of his career. Hooker took the fight with Makhachev on short notice after Rafael dos Anjos fell off the card. Just a few days after he beat Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266, Hooker then decided that he would take the chance and fight Makhachev on short notice at UFC 267.

Adam D Martin - October 24, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Islam Makhachev responded to rival Dan Hooker’s offer to make their fight at UFC 267 for five rounds instead. As you are all now aware, Hooker stepped up on short notice to take the fight with Makhachev at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi after Rafael dos Anjos was forced to withdraw with an injury. Hooker is a huge underdog to get the upset here against Makhachev, but that isn’t stopping him from wanting to be in the cage with his rival potentially 10 minutes longer. Hooker has taken to social media in the past week to request that his fight with Makhachev be moved to five rounds instead of three. Now, Makhachev has responded.

Harry Kettle - October 22, 2021

Dan Hooker has sensationally offered to take his fight against Islam Makhachev up to five rounds at UFC 267. MMA fans were quick to praise Dan Hooker when, on short notice, he decided to take on the challenge of facing Islam Makhachev at UFC 267. It’s a risky move for “Hangman” but in many ways, it’s a win-win. If he gets his hand raised then he’s one step closer to the belt and if he loses, that’s what was expected to happen anyway.

Adam D Martin - October 21, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker believes a win over Islam Makhachev at UFC 267 will put him one win away from a lightweight title shot. Hooker took the fight against Makhachev on short notice after former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos was forced to withdraw due to an injury. It’s a risky fight for Hooker, who will have to go to Abu Dhabi and fight one of the best lightweights in the world with less notice than ideal. But for Hooker, it’s a risk that is well worth the reward, because he knows that if he beats Makhachev, he would inch one step closer to the title shot at 155.

Adam D Martin - October 12, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker is only showing up for the paycheck against Islam Makhachev, says manager Ali Abdelaziz. Hooker filled in on short notice against Makhachev at UFC 267 later this month after Rafael dos Anjos pulled out with an injury. Hooker admitted that the UFC paid him a lot of money in order to take the fight, and as far as Abdelaziz goes, that’s the only reason why he took the fight. Speaking to MMAjunkie.com, Abdelaziz accused Hooker of taking the fight with Makhachev only because he will get paid hadnsomely not because he can actually win it.

Adam D Martin - October 7, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker can thwart the wrestling of elite grappler Islam Makhachev at UFC 267, says his coach, Frank Hickman. When Rafael dos Anjos fell off of the UFC 267 card with an injury, Hooker stepped up on short notice to take on Makhachev, who is considered one of the most feared fighters in the UFC lightweight division. Just a week after he beat Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266, Hooker accepted the fight with Makhachev for the end of October on Fight Island. The oddsmakers are not particularly high on Hooker’s chances in the matchup, as he’s a big underdog.

Cole Shelton - October 5, 2021

Khabib Nurmagomedov believes the only way Dan Hooker beats Islam Makhachev is by a lucky punch. Makhachev is a pupil of Nurmagomedov and was supposed to fight Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 267 in October. Yet, the Brazilian was forced out of the fight and Hooker took the fight on short notice and for Nurmagomedov, he expects Makhachev to maul Hooker.

Harry Kettle - October 4, 2021

UFC lightweight Dan Hooker has explained why getting a win over Islam Makhachev is the best way to show how he would’ve fared against Khabib Nurmagomedov. Just weeks after beating Nasrat Haqparast to get back in the win column, Dan Hooker is set to take on one of the most intimidating forces in the 155-pound division – Islam Makhachev. He’ll do so at UFC 267 on Fight Island in a move that has received a great deal of praise from mixed martial arts fans all over the world.

Adam D Martin - October 1, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker confirmed that the UFC gave him extra money in order to fight Islam Makhachev at UFC 267. Hooker will step into the Octagon on short notice later this month when he faces off against Makhachev at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi. Hooker just fought last weekend at UFC 266 and he beat Nasrat Haqparast via decision, and he was expected to go home to New Zealand following the fight. But with the opportunity to face a top-five opponent in Makhachev out there, Hooker has made the decision to stay away from home and take the fight. It’s a decision that isn’t an easy one for Hooker, as he now has no idea when he will go back to New Zealand and see his family. But for the extra money that the UFC offered him to take the fight with Makhachev, Hooker believes that it was worth taking the fight.

Adam Martin - September 30, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker has decided to step up on short notice, and he will face Islam Makhachev at UFC 267 next month. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to break the news that Hooker is fighting Makhachev at UFC 267. That’s according to UFC president Dana White, who confirmed the fight is set.

Adam D Martin - September 30, 2021

UFC lightweight Dan Hooker opened up on a potential scrap with Nate Diaz, saying “it’s definitely not a difficult fight for him to get.” Hooker is coming off of a unanimous decision win over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266 this past Saturday night in Las Vegas, a win that snapped a two-fight losing skid for “The Hangman.” Now that Hooker is back in the win column, he knows that he can start calling out higher-ranked fighters and bigger-name fighters, and it doesn’t get much bigger than Diaz. Following his big win over Haqparast last weekend, Hooker said that he’s open to fighting Diaz and that all the Stockton native has to do is simply request the fight.

Harry Kettle - September 27, 2021

UFC lightweight Dan Hooker has explained why he called out Beneil Dariush after his win at UFC 266 on Saturday. Hooker managed to get back on the winning trail last weekend with a nice win over Nasrat Haqparast in Las Vegas. He had to rely on his wrestling to do it but after going through such a gruelling process just to get to fight night, it made sense that “Hangman” wanted to do everything in his power to ensure he walked away with the win.

Adam Martin - September 26, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker dedicated his victory over Narsat Haqparast at UFC 266 to his fallen teammate, Fau Vake. Hooker defeated Haqparast via unanimous decision at UFC 266 in a lightweight battle between two fighters who barely even made it to their fight. For Hooker, he had visa issues he was facing in New Zealand, not to mention the lack of opponents available to him. Then for Haqparast, his mother passed away last week and he almost had visa issues, as well. Thankfully, the fight went on as planned, with Hooker showing off a dominant, complete MMA game for the win. “The Hangman” not only outstruck his opponent Haqparast, but he also out-grappled him as well in what was one of his most complete performances ever.

Chris Taylor - September 25, 2021

A key lightweight bout between Dan Hooker and Nasrat Haqparast takes place on the televised prelims of tonight’s UFC 266 event. Hooker (20-10 MMA) has lost his past two Octagon appearances, suffering defeats to perennial division contenders Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler. Prior to those setbacks, ‘The Hangman’ had put together a three-fight win streak, which included a nasty knockout of James Vick.

Cole Shelton - September 24, 2021

Dan Hooker, a captain of City Kickboxing, says the gym will likely move from New Zealand. Due to New Zealand’s strict lockdown rules, the gym was shut down, and Hooker and other fighters couldn’t train. To make matters worse, the country has closed the quarantine booking system, meaning if you leave the country now, it may be a year or before you are allowed to return. With that, Hooker says the team at CKB has discussed moving the gym elsewhere to get away from New Zealand.