Dan Hooker News

Adam D Martin - August 23, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker explained why he isn’t fighting “dumbass” Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 266 despite rumblings of a fight. Hooker takes on Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266, which is set for September 25 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. While he is a good fighter in his own right, Haqparast is an unranked fighter at 155lbs, while Tsarukyan is at least ranked No. 15. Hooker is ranked No. 8 in the UFC, so it is understandable why he wanted to fight someone who was ranked, but he ended up accepting the fight with Haqparast because he wants to scrap.

Cole Shelton - August 16, 2021

Dan Hooker will be making his return to the Octagon at UFC 266 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Multiple sources have informed BJPENN.com that Hooker will face Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266 on September 25 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Contracts have already been sent out for the fight, the sources said.

Harry Kettle - August 11, 2021

UFC lightweight Dan Hooker has hit out at the sentence handed down to one of Fau Vake’s attackers Ofa He Mooni Folau. Vake, who was a rising MMA prospect and a member of the City Kickboxing gym, passed away earlier this year after he and his brother were attacked in Auckland. Vake spent a week in hospital before his death with an outpouring of support coming from the mixed martial arts community – especially within the CKB family from the likes of Israel Adesanya and Dan Hooker.

Adam D Martin - July 23, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Thiago Moises called out Dan Hooker following his recent submission loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC Vegas 31. Moises, the No. 15 ranked lightweight in the UFC, saw his three-fight win streak snapped when he lost via fourth-round tapout to Makhachev at last weekend’s UFC Vegas 31 card. Of course, there is no shame in losing to Makhachev, the No. 5 ranked lightweight who many believe is a future world champion. Even though Moises didn’t fare well in the fight, he has still developed quite a bit of confidence just by hanging around with a stud like Makhachev for nearly four rounds, and now he’s ready to fight other top-10 opponents.

Adam D Martin - July 19, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker says he “got bored” watching Islam Makhachev fight Thiago Moises in the main event of UFC Vegas 31. Hooker is the No. 8 ranked lightweight in the UFC and right behind him at No. 9 is Makhachev, who defeated Moises via fourth-round submission in the headliner of this past Saturday’s UFC Vegas 31 card. Speaking to Submission Radio following Makhachev’s win, Hooker was asked if he is interested in facing Makhachev next. While Hooker knows this fight is possible just based on the rankings, Hooker says he was “bored” watching Makhachev fight against Moises and can’t imagine what his New Zealand fans would think if they ever fought on his home soil, unlike someone who is a striker such as Paul Felder.

Adam D Martin - June 18, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker is hoping to fight again this fall and he wants to scrap either Nate Diaz or Tony Ferguson at UFC 266. UFC 266 is set to take place on September 25 and features a main event between UFC light heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz and No. 1 contender Glover Teixeira. In addition, a TUF coaches battle between UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega is also expected to take place on the card. Hooker, a longtime teammate of Volkanovski at City Kickboxing, is hoping to fight at UFC 266 and he recently said that he wants to fight Diaz. Now he is also adding Ferguson to his list of potential opponents.

Drake Riggs - June 16, 2021

Dan Hooker is ready to return to action. Nate Diaz made a highly anticipated return at UFC 263 this past Saturday night. In a non-title non-main event five-round welterweight clash with No. 3 ranked contender Leon Edwards, Diaz fell short via a lopsided unanimous decision.

Adam D Martin - April 5, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker is targeting a matchup against former champion Rafael dos Anjos the next time he steps into the Octagon. Hooker hasn’t fought since January when he suffered a first-round KO loss to Michael Chandler at UFC 257. It was a tough loss for Hooker, who prior to that had lost a unanimous decision to Dustin Poirier in a 2020 “Fight of the Year” candidate. Prior to those two defeats, Hooker had won three straight fights including wins over Paul Felder, Al Iaquinta, and James Vick. Despite dropping his last two bouts, the Kiwi has proven time and time again that he’s one of the best lightweights in the world, and even though he hasn’t got his hand raised in over a year, he’s still a top-10 ranked lightweight in the UFC.

Christopher Taylor - February 25, 2021

Perennial UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker believes his new “ugly-ass record” will allow him to take risks other guys aren’t willing to take. Hooker (20-10 MMA) suffered his second straight loss at January’s UFC 257 event, this after being knocked out by Michael Chandler in the very first round.

Cole Shelton - February 23, 2021

Michael Chandler has offered his support to Dan Hooker. Hooker recently posted on social media that he is back in New Zealand but in quarantine. He shared a photo of him behind the fence with his wife and daughter looking at him. It was a sad photo and what made it worse is the fact he still has another 12 days to go in quarantine, despite already being away from his family for 44 days.

Adam Martin - February 23, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker is finally back home in his native New Zealand, but he has still not been reunited with his family. Hooker traveled to Fight Island in Abu Dhabi to fight Michael Chandler at UFC 257 on January 23. Unfortunately for Hooker, things did not go well for him that night as he suffered a brutal first-round knockout loss. To make matters worse, Hooker has still not been able to reunite with his family a month since that fight. His home country of New Zealand has very strict quarantine rules and right now Hooker is still waiting to get to hug his wife and daughter. Taking to his social media, “The Hangman” posted a very emotional photo of him standing outside of a fence while his family appears on the other side of it.

Chris Taylor - February 6, 2021

Eddie Alvarez tuned in to watch his former rival Michael Chandler make his Octagon debut against Dan Hooker at UFC 257. Alvarez and Chandler have a storied history having competed for the Bellator lightweight world title on two occasions. Their first encounter occurred at Bellator 58 in November of 2011 where Chandler dethroned Alvarez with a fourth round submission.

Chris Taylor - January 30, 2021

Dan Hooker has made his first social media appearance since suffering a brutal knockout loss to Michael Chandler at UFC 257. Hooker (20-10 MMA) squared off with the former Bellator champion in the co-headliner of last weekend’s pay-per-view with hopes of spoiling Chandler’s Octagon debut.

Harry Kettle - January 26, 2021

Dan Hooker’s head coach Eugene Bareman has given his thoughts on Hooker’s devastating loss to Michael Chandler at UFC 257. Hooker was unable to get back on the winning trail against Chandler on Saturday night as he suffered a first round TKO that massively sets him back in his quest to win the UFC Lightweight Championship.

Cole Shelton - January 25, 2021

In the main event of UFC 257, Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor had their rematch six years in the making. The co-main event saw Dan Hooker welcome Michael Chandler to the UFC in a very intriguing lightweight bout. In the end, Poirier exacted his revenge as he knocked out McGregor in the second round. The co-main event, meanwhile, saw Chandler TKO Dan Hooker in the first round to cement his case as a top contender.

Adam Martin - January 24, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler released a statement following his first-round knockout win over Dan Hooker at UFC 257. Chandler is the former three-time Bellator lightweight champion who signed a big-money contract with the UFC last summer. After serving as the backup at UFC 254 this past October, Chandler finally made his official Octagon at UFC 257 on Saturday night, picking up a brutal first-round KO win over Dan Hooker. Following the victory, Chandler took to his social media to release a lengthy statement. Check out what “Iron” wrote on his Instagram below.

Chris Taylor - January 23, 2021

Tonight’s UFC 257 was co-headlined by a key lightweight scrap featuring former Bellator champion Michael Chandler taking on Dan Hooker. Chandler (21-5 MMA) was making his UFC debut after scoring back-to-back knockouts in his most recent Bellator appearances. In his most previous effort back in August, Michael needed just over two minutes to finish former UFC champion Benson Henderson.

Chris Taylor - January 23, 2021

Tonight’s UFC 257 is co-headlined by a key lightweight scrap featuring former Bellator champion Michael Chandler taking on Dan Hooker. Chandler (21-5 MMA) will make his UFC debut after scoring back-to-back knockouts in his most recent Bellator appearances. In his most recent effort back in August, Michael needed just over two minutes to finish former UFC champion Benson Henderson.