Tag: Dan Hooker

Video: Does Kai Kara-France deserve a title shot? What’s next for Tai Tuivasa? More on UFC 305

What next for the winners and losers outside the UFC 305 main event? We discuss on “Spinning Back Clique.”

A lot went down at UFC 305 outside the championship fight between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya.

Last Friday’s UFC pay-per-view event in Australia hosted the return of Kai Kara-France, who finished Steve Erceg in the first round after a year of being outside competition. UFC 305 also saw [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] and [autotag]Carlos Prates[/autotag] shine by picking up impressive wins over [autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag] and [autotag]Li Jingliang[/autotag], while Tai Tuivasa fell to a five-fight losing skid, among other results.

Should Kara-France get the next title shot at flyweight? What’s Prates’ potential? Where does Tuivasa go from here?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Matthew Wells, Danny Segura, and host “Gorgeous” George Garcia breakdown some of the key results from UFC 305. 

Watch their discussion in the video above and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube or in podcast form.

https://youtube.com/live/7LMXg2Uksr4

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.

Dan Hooker says UFC wants Charles Oliveira next for him: ‘That’s a good fight, but there’s heaps of cool sh*t’

Dan Hooker claims the UFC likes Charles Oliveira for him next.

[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] claims the UFC likes [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] for him next.

Following his split decision win over Mateusz Gamrot on Saturday’s UFC 305 main card at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, Hooker (24-12 MMA, 14-8 UFC) recounted how he ran into UFC executive Hunter Campbell.

Hooker says the name Oliveira (34-10 MMA, 22-10 UFC) was thrown at him.

“Yeah, they want Charles,” Hooker told The MacLife. “That’s a good fight, but there’s heaps of cool sh*t I could do. The lay of the land is pretty crazy. It’s such a wild sport, as well. We’ll see how it plays out.”

Hooker is open to Oliveira, or even Arman Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC), who’s touted as UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev’s next title challenger.

“I couldn’t care less, mate,” Hooker said. “(I’ll fight) all of them – even Arman. I said to Hunter, I said to Sean (Shelby), I’d like to fight Arman because screw it: We’ll go the toughest way to the title we possibly can. That’s (Jalin) Turner, Gamrot, Arman, Islam. I just don’t care. I would prefer the hardest road to the title that I possibly could. … I hate the prick. I told Hunter I’m going to smash his face in.”

After hearing Bruce Buffer call out his name as the victor, a hyped-up Hooker even mentioned Conor McGregor’s name during his post-fight speech. Hooker said he was just having some fun.

“I didn’t necessarily call him out, I just said that because I am an absolute troll, so it’s like the biggest troll move you could do of all time is to snake that fight off (Michael) Chandler,” Hooker said. “He waits all that time and then Conor just fights me anyway, like, that would be gold. I would feel like the biggest snake troll of all time.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.

Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: Dricus Du Plessis submits Israel Adesanya, other UFC 305 results, Alex Pereira vs. Khalil Rountree

Our panel discusses the major results from UFC 305, Alex Pereira’s title bout vs. Khalil Rountree, the PFL playoffs and more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Matt Wells and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at a special start time of 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • It was “And still” Saturday when [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] defended his middleweight belt for the first time against former champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] in the main event of UFC 305. Du Plessis (22-2 MMA, 8-0 UFC) submitted Adesanya (24-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) in the fourth round of their contest, and now appears to have set up a title rematch with Sean Strickland. Is that the right fight to make? Where does Adesanya go from here? We discuss the fallout from the UFC 305 main event.
  • Du Plessis’ win wasn’t the only important thing that went down at UFC 305. The card also was host to several key results, including [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag]’s TKO win over [autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag], [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag]’s upset of [autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag], and many more. We break down all the notable moments outside the UFC 305 main event.
  • UFC 307 has its headlining acts. [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] will be defending his light heavyweight title against [autotag]Khalil Rountree[/autotag] in the main event, and a women’s bantamweight title fight between [autotag]Raquel Pennington[/autotag] and [autotag]Julianna Peña[/autotag] will serve as its co-main event. There’s plenty to digest with those big bout announcements.

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UFC 305 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Dricus Du Plessis top earner for entering as champ

Dricus Du Plessis received a card-high $42,000 in Promotional Guidelines Compliance at UFC 305.

PERTH, Australia – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 305 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $243,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 305 took place at RAC Arena in Western Australia. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

The full UFC 305 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Carlos Prates[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Li Jingliang[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Valter Walker[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Junior Tafa[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Josh Culibao[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Casey O’Neill[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Luana Santos[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Jack Jenkins[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Herbert Burns[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Tom Nolan[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Alex Reyes[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Song Kenan[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Ricky Glenn[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Jesus Aguilar[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Stewart Nicoll[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $5,158,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $27,895,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.

UFC 305 results: Dan Hooker wins gritty split decision over Mateusz Gamrot

Dan Hooker denied Mateusz Gamrot on the mat, keeping the fight in his world on the feet to win a split decision at UFC 305.

[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] overcame the grappling threats of Mateusz Gamrot to pick up a hard-fought win at UFC 305.

The lightweight bout was part of the UFC 305 main card at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, and saw Hooker (24-12 MMA, 14-8 UFC) and Gamrot (24-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) present the best of their games. After 15 minutes, the judges were split, issuing dueling 29-28 scores. Two of the scorecards favored Hooker’s work in the striking department.

The classic grappler vs. striker matchup played out exactly as one would think, as both fighters played to their strengths. But Gamrot surprised Hooker early with a fast combination of punches upstairs. A few moments later, Gamrot brought the fight to his world.

Hooker weathered a storm of ground and pound strikes before returning to his feet and cracking Gamrot with punches, bringing the crowd to life. Hooker hunted for a finish, but Gamrot remained poised to see the end of a very wild opening round.

Gamrot didn’t waste time getting the fight to the ground in Round 2, quickly implementing his smothering ground game. Midway through the round, though, Hooker returned to his feet and got back on the hunt with strikes. It didn’t take long for Gamrot to get back in on the hips, but he had to deal with hard elbows and guillotine threats as Hooker sprawled.

“I love this sh*t!” Hooker said while laughing in the corner between rounds.

With five minutes to go and the fight seemingly up for grabs, Hooker denied an early takedown and led the striking battle. Between takedown attempts, Gamrot managed to land a few strikes, but was mostly outstruck in the final exchanges.

 

Make it three in a row for Hooker now, who is now knocking on the door of the top five in the lightweight division. Hooker’s current run includes a stoppage of Claudio Puelles and a split decision over Jalin Turner.

Coincidentally, Gamrot’s winning streak ends at three, which consisted of wins over Turner, Rafael Fiziev and former champ Rafael dos Anjos.

Up-to-the-minute UFC 305 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.

Dan Hooker def. Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Dan Hooker’s split decision win over Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag]’s split decision win over [autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag] at UFC 305 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. (Photos by Paul Kane and Colin Murty, Getty Images; UFC; MMA Junkie)

Mateusz Gamrot vs. Dan Hooker prediction, pick, start time, odds for UFC 305

Is there a path for Dan Hooker to stop Mateusz Gamrot’s dominant wrestling game at UFC 305?

[autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag] and [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] meet Saturday on the main card of UFC 305 at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom. 

Last event: 5-1
UFC main cards, 2024: 69-57-3

Mateusz Gamrot vs. Dan Hooker UFC 305 preview

Gamrot (24-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) is a handful for anyone in the lightweight division due to his staunch wrestling game. A winner of his last three, Gamrot is trying to navigate his way to a title shot in one of the UFC’s most stacked divisions. He began his year with a unanimous decision over former champ Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 299 and looks to keep the momentum going against an entertaining striker. … Hooker (23-12 MMA, 13-8 UFC) always shows up ready to scrap with anyone. The rangy striker has been in numerous exciting fights, and whether he wins or loses, the fans will come away satisfied. Hooker comes into this one as a winner of his last two, having stopped Claudio Puelles and edging a split decision over Jalin Turner.

Mateusz Gamrot vs. Dan Hooker UFC 305 expert pick, prediction

In a fight that could’ve easily been the choice for the main-card opener, Gamrot will tangle with the always-dangerous Hooker at 155 pounds.

Whether you’re a fan of Gamrot’s style or not, it’s hard not to scratch your head at yet another wrestle-heavy fighter being forced into ‘keep busy’ spots that don’t involve the division’s title. But I digress.

The good news is: Hooker fights are always exciting.

An action fighter through and through, the man’s recently-acquired chest piece appears to be a perfect encapsulation of the chaos that Hooker brings to the table. Whether he’s throwing front kicks and straight punches standing or looking to lock up sneaky front chokes in transition, Hooker should be able to keep Gamrot honest in multiple phases.

However, it’s ultimately hard to ignore the fact that fighters who have wanted to get to Hooker’s legs have found success (to varying degrees, granted).

Hooker, to his credit, has shown some solid offensive wrestling improvements during this latter stretch of his career. That said, I’m not sure that Hooker’s defense can hold up to the relentless waves of takedowns that will be coming his way.

Gamrot may not have the most criteria-friendly fighting style (despite being rewarding some absolute gifts in the decision department), but I think that he can effectively wrestle for three rounds here.

Even though late stoppages are on the table for both parties, I’ll pick Gamrot to win via unanimous decision.

Mateusz Gamrot vs. Dan Hooker UFC 305 odds

The oddsmakers and the public are favoring the Polish fighter, listing Gamrot -333 and Hooker +250 via FanDuel.

Mateusz Gamrot vs. Dan Hooker UFC 305 start time, how to watch

As the feature bout on the main card, Gamrot and Hooker are expected to walk out to the cage at approximately 11:15 p.m. ET. The fight will air on ESPN+ pay-per-view.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.

Dan Hooker is all about ‘that sexy little number’ Mateusz Gamrot is bringing to UFC 305

There’s a very simple reason Dan Hooker loves the matchup he has Saturday in Perth, Australia.

PERTH, Australia – There’s a very simple reason [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] loves the matchup he has Saturday.

It’s a numbers game, and as far as Hooker is concerned, he wants to play the Mateusz Gamrot game because there’s nothing stupid about the prizes that could result from a win.

Hooker (23-12 MMA, 13-8 UFC) takes on Gamrot (24-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in the featured bout spot on the UFC 305 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) main card at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, and there’s no mistaking his intentions.

“I love him, bubba,” Hooker said at Thursday’s media day for the event in Perth. “I love that sexy little number he’s got next to his name. That’s all I’m coming for.”

Gamrot currently sits at No. 5 in the UFC’s official lightweight rankings. Hooker is back in the middle of the pack at No. 11. Arman Tsarukyan will take a shot at champ Islam Makhachev next, and the usual suspects like Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler are among the 155-pounders lurking at the top.

If it seems like Hooker has been around the UFC proverbially forever, it’s because he practically has been. He passed the 10-year service mark in the company earlier this year. And while he’s long been a contender, he hasn’t gotten over the hump in the big ones yet.

Case in point, after a four-fight winning streak of finishes in 2017-2018, he lost to Edson Barboza. He built back up with three more wins, but then dropped fights to Poirier and Chandler. after a bounce-back against Nasrat Haqparast, he lost to Makhachev on his way to the title, then Arnold Allen.

But in late 2022, the New Zealander thrilled the crowd at the Madison Square Garden combat sports mecca with a body-kick knockout of Claudio Puelles. And in July 2023, he took a split call from Jalin Turner in a fight he kept despite Turner’s missed weight.

Because he feels like he’s had very little introduction to high-level MMA before he was thrown into the deep end, Hooker thinks the world is about to see the puzzle pieces finally in place.

“I’ve had to do my development against the best guys in the world,” Hooker said. “You’re obviously trying new things … I’ve just constantly been working on things, and I feel like everything’s just coming together now where where I can showcase a finished product.

“I feel like I just got good in the last year. So it’s like, ‘Well, I’m going to quit now when I just got good’ – it doesn’t make any sense.”

That’s why Hooker didn’t let a broken arm late last year derail him too much, since it happened right after he had a mostly full training camp for King Green. To run his winning streak to three and stay in the picture without a setback, though, he’ll have to come through as a bigger betting underdog than he’s ever been.

Check out Hooker’s full media day interview above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.

Video: Can Israel Adesanya get back UFC title from Dricus Du Plessis?

On the latest episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel previews the biggest fights on Saturday’s UFC 305.

[autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] makes his return this Saturday in the main event of UFC 305.

“The Last Stylebender” enters as a challenger while he attempts to take the UFC middleweight title away from [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag]. It’s a big moment for Adesanya’s career. He’s coming off a loss to Sean Strickland and hasn’t fought in almost a year, yet he remains one of the biggest names in the sport.

What should we expect from Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC)? How ugly can the buildup get with Du Plessis (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC)? What happens if Adesanya loses?

MMA Junkie’s Brian “Goze” Garcia, Dan Tom, Farah Hannoun and host “Gorgeous” George Garcia preview the UFC middleweight title fight between Du Plessis and Adesanya, as well as other key matchups on the UFC 305 card, including [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag], [autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag], and others.

Watch their discussion in the video above, and don’t miss this week’s complete episode of “Spinning Back Clique” below on YouTube.

https://youtube.com/live/mvbpppk5Kqg

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Spinning Back Clique REPLAY: Francis Ngannou books PFL debut, UFC 305: Du Plessis vs. Adesanya preview, more

On this week’s episode of “Spinning Back Clique,” the panel discusses Francis Ngannou’s MMA return, UFC 305, and much more.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts.

This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Mike Bohn and Danny Segura will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate the following topics:

  • [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] is back. The former UFC heavyweight champion returns to MMA this fall, as he takes on 2023 PFL heavyweight champion [autotag]Renan Ferreira[/autotag] on Oct. 19 in a PFL pay-per-view event. What should we expect from Ngannou in his first MMA fight in over two years? How does this impact the heavyweight division in MMA? We discuss.
  • Accompanying Ngannou’s return to the cage, a women’s featherweight matchup between [autotag]Cris Cyborg[/autotag] and [autotag]Larissa Pacheco [/autotag]was also announced. This will be Cyborg’s first fight under the PFL banner. Is this the best women’s MMA fight you can make today? Where does Cyborg’s legacy stand? We break it all down.
  • This weekend, the UFC will host a pay-per-view event in Perth, Australia. A middleweight title fight between champion [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag] (21-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and former champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) headlines the event. UFC 305 also features [autotag]Kai Kara-France[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Steve Erceg[/autotag], [autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag], and other important bouts. We preview the all the action on this week’s episode.

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