Tag: Dan Hooker

UFC’s Dan Hooker: If Beneil Dariush ‘wants to see if he’s still got it, well, I can check’

If Beneil Dariush wants to know where he stands in the UFC lightweight division, Dan Hooker is happy to help him find out.

If [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] wants to know if he’s still got it, [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] is happy to help him find out.

Dariush (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6-1 UFC) contemplated his fighting future after suffering his second consecutive first-round knockout to Arman Tsarukyan in the UFC on ESPN 52 headliner. Prior to that, Dariush was stopped by former champion Charles Oliveira, who snapped his eight-fight winning streak.

Hooker (22-12 MMA, 12-8 UFC), who’s riding some momentum after back-to-back wins over Claudio Puelles and Jalin Turner, is down to scrap with Dariush this summer.

“I’ll fight Beneil in June,” Hooker said in an interview on ENGAGE’s YouTube channel. “Whether that be (Conor) McGregor’s card International Fight Week, if he’s just pulling everyone’s chain as he usually does. I hear (the UFC is) coming back mid-year sometime in Australia. That as well, it would be cool to fight close to home.

So, Benny is ranked above me coming off a couple of losses, but let’s go, baby. He’s come out and said, yeah, he wants to see if he still got it. Well, I can check, brother. I’ll check for you.”

Hooker appears to be back in training after breaking his arm just 11 days ahead of his Dec. 2 UFC on ESPN 52 matchup vs. Bobby Green, which required surgery.

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Dan Hooker would love to be backup fighter for Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler

Dan Hooker would love a first-time fight with Conor McGregor or a rematch with Michael Chandler.

[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] is campaigning to be the reserve for [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag].

McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) is expected to face Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) on June 29 to cap off International Fight Week. Hooker (22-12 MMA, 12-8 UFC) welcomed Chandler to the octagon in January 2020 but was stopped by first-round TKO at UFC 257. “The Hangman” has never been one to pick opponents but would love it if he could compete on the same card as McGregor vs. Chandler so he could serve as the backup.

“You obviously get to play the roulette,” Hooker told The Mac Life. “You get to take the gamble, the exact gamble I would like to take, which is be the backup for that fight. Obviously fighting, couldn’t care who, top to bottom.

“Whoever’s free, but yeah, on that card and whoever gets injured, that’s like my perfect fight. Either a rematch with Chandler, which is obviously a fight I’d die for, or the McGregor fight. Everyone knows why you want to have that fight.”

In his most recent outing, Hooker outlasted Jalin Turner in a Fight of the Night war at UFC 290 in July. He broke his arm in training just 11 days ahead of his UFC on ESPN 52 matchup vs. Bobby Green, which required surgery.

Hooker said he could fight as early as May but prefers waiting until June 29.

“I would be ready to go probably May or early June,” Hooker continued. “But I would be willing to wait to late June because you’re playing that game where you can step in. I don’t mind either of the blokes. I got no personal vendetta against Chandler, that is what it is. He beat me fair and square. I got no qualms about that, that’s just the sport. Conor, that’s a cool fight card to be a part of. I’ve been a part of a McGregor card before.”

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24 fights on our 2024 MMA wish list: Francis Ngannou vs. Jon Jones (still), Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz 3, more

Here’s MMA Junkie’s 24-fight wishlist for the new year.

2023 didn’t disappoint in terms of great MMA action, and 2024 looks just as promising, if not more.

With 2024 underway, there’s a new year of fresh possibilities for dream matchups across the MMA landscape, from the UFC to Bellator, PFL, RIZIN FF, ONE Championship and more.

For 2023, unfortunately, only four of the 23 dream fights MMA Junkie wished for came to fruition. We’re not deterred, however, and are back with another slate of 24 matchups we aspire to see in 2024.

Below, we present MMA Junkie’s wish list of 24 fights we’d like to see in 2024.

Bobby Green disappointed it’s not Dan Hooker, but hopes Jalin Turner will help turn in a classic at UFC Austin

Bobby Green sees Jalin Turner as just as exciting of a matchup as his original at UFC Austin: Dan Hooker.

AUSTIN, Texas – [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] sees [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag] as just of an exciting matchup as [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag].

Green (31-14-1 MMA, 12-9-1 UFC) was slated to face Hooker in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 52 co-main event, but Hooker was forced out due to a broken arm. Turner will step in on short notice to face Green at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

Turner (13-7 MMA, 6-4 UFC) is coming off a thrilling decision loss to Hooker at UFC 290. Green was looking forward to throwing down with Hooker (22-12 MMA, 12-8 UFC), but sees his matchup with Turner delivering similar fireworks.

“It really sucks because that had Fight of the Night on it,” Green told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “But I think me and Jalin are going to do our thing, too. My most important thing is just setting out classics, stuff that can be watched, something that’s timeless, and keep getting those Fight of the Night awards. That’s where I was really at with it, but I think Jalin is going to do the same thing.”

Turner got off to a good start against Hooker, but “The Hangman” rallied to beat him on two of the three judges’ scorecards. Green is aware of Turner’s strong starts and aims to score his third-straight finish against “The Tarantula.”

“Especially in that first round or two, he comes really hard,” Green said. “I’m expecting that from him. Be careful, make sure I don’t make any mistakes, and I’m going to go in there and try and take his head off.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

Dan Hooker undergoes surgery for broken arm: ‘Just a scratch baby, can’t wait to scrap again’

UFC lightweight Dan Hooker is already looking forward to his return to action following surgery on his arm.

UFC lightweight [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] has completed surgery and is already eying his return to action.

Hooker, who was scheduled to compete at UFC on ESPN 52 at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, against Bobby Green, was forced out due to injury. “Hangman” broke his arm in training just 11 days ahead of the event.

Monday, Hooker went under the knife to repair his injury, and appears to be in good spirits.

“Surgery done and dusted this morning,” Hooker wrote on Instagram in a post with a photo of himself in hospital scrubs and his arm in a sling. “Not my first and definitely won’t be my last time under the knife haha. Can see how this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but I’m built for this game. Just a scratch baby, can’t wait to scrap again.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/C0Kw5bcSJ0Y/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

The injury was to the same arm that Hooker previously broke in an intense fight against Jalin Turner at UFC 290 in July. Coincidentally, Turner is the one who stepped up to face Green on short notice in Austin.

According to Hooker, his doctor told him the arm never fused properly, which led to the re-injury. The procedure on Monday included injecting bone marrow into the bone to ensure it heals properly this time. There is currently no timetable for Hooker’s return to action.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC fights announced in the past week (Nov. 20-26)

All the UFC fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Nov. 20-26.

Dan Hooker blames himself for broken arm that forced UFC on ESPN 52 withdrawal

Dan Hooker says he “took a risk” by trying to fight so soon at UFC on ESPN 52, and the decision backfired on him.

[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] broke the same arm he injured in his past fight.

Hooker (23-12 MMA, 13-8 UFC) was forced to withdraw from his lightweight co-headliner against Bobby Green (31-14-1 MMA, 12-9-1 UFC) scheduled for Dec. 2 at UFC on ESPN 52 after breaking his arm.

“(In) sparring yesterday, copped a bit of a kick,” Hooker told Submission Radio. “Got sent to an X-ray. She’s custard … Yeah, it just broke in the same place, and it kind of is what it is.”

Hooker broke his right arm in the first round of his barnburner against Jalin Turner at UFC 290 in July, which required surgery. The City Kickboxing fighter admits he should have taken more time off before returning.

“I took a risk,” Hooker said. “I obviously came back a little quicker than … Yeah, like, it’s all on me. I rushed to come back. I wanted to fight. I knew the risk of coming back that quickly, and we rolled the dice and we come up snake eyes, baby.”

Hooker, who’s coming off back-to-back wins, said he re-injured his arm during sparring.

“Yeah, just sparring yesterday,” Hooker said. “Bro, one of those things. I blocked a thousand kicks in the last couple of months and just one hit on the right spot and it just, yeah. It is what it is.”

“The Hangman” is expected to go under the knife again to repair his arm and sees UFC 300 in April as a good date to target for his return.

“I’ll be back,” Hooker said. “UFC 300 in five months. That’s a good target. Everything happens for a reason. That one wasn’t meant to be. Yeah, UFC 300 in five months. Speaking with the surgeon, that’s a comfortable target for three months of rehab and the training camp. So, onto the future.”

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Dan Hooker injured, out of fight vs. Bobby Green at UFC on ESPN 52

Dan Hooker is out of his fight against Bobby Green at UFC on ESPN 52.

UFC on ESPN 52 just took a major hit.

Arguably the most anticipated bout in the card has fallen through, as [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] suffered an arm injury and is now out of his lightweight bout against [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag].

MMA Junkie confirmed the news with two sources Tuesday, following a first report from New Zealand Herald.

Both fan-favorite fighters were supposed to throw down in a five-round co-main event of UFC on ESPN 52, which goes down on Dec. 2 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. The promotion has yet to announce the change and is currently seeking a replacement on short notice.

Hooker was looking to continue to build momentum following his loss at featherweight against Arnold Allen in 2022. Since then, he’s put together two wins, defeating Claudio Puelles and Jalin Turner.

Meanwhile, Green also finds himself on a two-fight winning streak. He knocked out Grant Dawson last month and submitted Tony Ferguson in July.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Oct. 30-Nov. 5)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Oct. 30-Nov. 5.

Dan Hooker respects ‘real fighter’ Bobby Green more than 99.9 percent of other fighters

Dan Hooker thinks Bobby Green is one of the few real fighters left in the sport.

[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] is one of the few real fighters left in the sport.

Lightweights Hooker (23-12 MMA, 13-8 UFC) and Green (31-14-1 MMA, 12-9-1 UFC) meet in the co-main event of a UFC Fight Night card Dec. 2 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Both fighters got their wish after they expressed interest in a fight against each other.

Green is riding plenty of momentum after back-to-back finishes of former interim champion Tony Ferguson and streaking contender Grant Dawson. Hooker has rebounded, himself, in impressive fashion with two wins over Claudio Puelles and Jalin Turner and looks forward to throwing down with Green.

“He’s got a lot of good skills,” Hooker told Combat TV. “I respect Bobby Green probably more than I respect 99.9 percent of the other fighters in the UFC. That’s a real fighter. There’s not many of us left, so it’s an exciting fight. I rate his skills quite highly. It looks very unique, but it’s just a lot of different high-level stuff all happening at the same time. I respect his skills a lot.”

Despite being the co-headliner, Hooker and Green are slated for five rounds. “The Hangman” doesn’t seem too interested in a 25-minute fight.

“The cheeky buggers said it was a main event – sweet: five rounds. And then they switched it to co-main and they reckon it’s still five rounds,” Hooker said. “Check with all my old bosses: I don’t do overtime. Nah, we’ll see. I think it’s just a bit of a misunderstanding.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for the UFC Fight Night event.