Dan Hooker (MMA Junkie)
What is next for UFC fighter Dan Hooker or is this the beginning of his end?
Following his loss at UFC London, much is being made about Dan Hooker’s future inside the UFC. This was his fourth loss in his last five fights, in which he has been stopped thrice.
Dan Hooker was once on a brilliant run, having held notable victories against Jim Miller, Paul Felder, and Al Iaquinta. It all started back in 2020, when Hooker went to a five-round blood-spattered war against Dustin Poirier. The visuals of Hooker’s post-fight condition is still fresh in the memory of MMA fans.
Following that he suffered a first-round KO loss to UFC debutant Michael Chandler, and his most recent losses include submission loss to Islam Makhachev, and TKO loss to Arnold Allen this weekend.
At the UFC London post-fight press conference, UFC president Dana White reacted to Dan Hooker’s fourth loss in five outings and said, “He came in and performed tonight. He made weight, he came in and went to war with a guy that’s undefeated in this weight class. And he can do whatever he wants to.“
Hooker has had his fair share of setbacks throughout his career, and the gritty Kiwi has always found a way to bounce back from his slump. The loss, although deeply disheartening as it may be, Hooker has some loyal teammates, loving fans, who want to see him get over this and reverberate.
Hooker did look lean and shredded at 145 lbs. but his chin failed him. Should he stay at this weight, a fight against Dan Ige or a rematch against Edson Barboza makes sense for the Kiwi.
If he moves back to lightweight, fights against fan-friendly names like Bobby Green or Rafael Fiziev will be plausible for Hooker.
Dan Hooker has found himself in rough seas following his UFC London loss to emerging prospect, Arnold Allen. Once a front-runner for the lightweight gold, Hooker has suffered four losses in his last five fights.
The City Kickboxing captain was driven by the prospect of revitalizing his career with a move down to featherweight, but Arnold Allen pumped brakes to his plan. Hooker is on an all-time low in terms of his career and even the boss-man Dana White has no idea about his future.
UFC lightweight champion was supportive of Hooker, and wants him to bounce back. He posted a tweet captioning, “I wish him the best, and I hope he can rebound from these setbacks. God bless you and your family, @danthehangman”
This beautiful display of empathy from the champion would mean a lot to Hooker, given the fact that Charles has had to go through some dark-times of his own.
More MMA news
Follow our dedicated MMA page for instant MMA news and updates