Photo | Dan Hooker finally back in New Zealand, but still not reunited with family

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.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLn4pfthoXi/

44 days down, 12 to go.

Going through the comments from fans and fellow fighters on social media, you can tell that this photo really hit hard for many people the realities of the sacrifices families must take during COVID-19. Not seeing someone’s family for two months is hard. It might be even harder for Hooker that he can actually see his wife and child but he can’t touch them.

This is actually the second time Hooker has gone through a long quarantine period due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Last June, Hooker lost a unanimous decision to Dustin Poirier in a “Fight of the Year” candidate. When he traveled home after the fight, he was subject to a similar quarantine period. However, the sacrifice was a risk worth taking for the Hooker family in order for him to try and take a shot at the top of the lightweight division. Despite falling to Poirier and Chandler, Hooker is still one of the top-10 lightweights in the UFC.

Who do you want Dan Hooker to fight in his return to the Octagon?