Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
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 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 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.
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 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.
The UFC is officially headed back to Austin, Texas and its bringing two five-round fights to top the card.
The UFC is headed back to Austin, Texas and two five-round lightweight fights sit atop the bill.
[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] and [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] will headline a UFC Fight Night card Dec. 2 at Moody Center. UFC CEO Dana White officially announced the card on X. The event marks the first time the promotion has held an event in Austin since a June 2022 card headlined by Josh Emmett vs. Calvin Kattar.
Dariush (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC) will attempt to rebound from his TKO loss to Charles Oliveira in June, which snapped a seven-fight winning streak. Tsarukyan (20-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC), meanwhile, tries to build off his third-round TKO of Joaquim Silva in June.
Hooker (23-12 MMA, 13-8 UFC) and Green (31-14-1 MMA, 12-9-1 UFC) have angled for a matchup in recent weeks, since Green knocked out Grant Dawson in 33 seconds on Oct. 7.
Both fighters ride two-fight winning streaks into the matchup. Hooker defeated Claudio Puelles and Jalin Turner in succession. Green finished back-to-back fights against Tony Ferguson and Dawson.
Other contender fights on the Dec. 2 card include Deiveson Figueiredo’s bantamweight debut vs. Rob Font, Kelvin Gastelum’s return to welterweight vs. Sean Brady, and former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate’s return vs. Julia Avila.
With the addition, the UFC Austin lineup includes:
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for the UFC Fight Night event.
Dan Hooker’s first choice is Mateusz Gamrot, but welcomes Bobby Green if he doesn’t get his preference.
[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag]’s first choice is [autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag], but welcomes [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] if he doesn’t get his preference.
Green called out Hooker (23-12 MMA, 13-8 UFC) after needing just 33 seconds to knock out Grant Dawson in this past Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 229 headliner, and Hooker was quick to respond.
But “The Hangman” clarifies that he’d rather fight Gamrot (23-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) if possible.
“Bobby’s a fun one, right? We go out there and touch gloves, like, we’re just going to have a fight,” Hooker told Submission Radio. “That sounds like fun to me. That’s a fun one. Gamrot’s a tricky one in that you’re going to have to be a bit more patient and a bit more slowed down. But Gamrot is the fight that gets me to where I want to go.”
Gamrot is coming off a TKO win due to injury over Rafael Fiziev last month. He has been dubbed as the official backup for lightweight champion Islam Makhachev’s title-fight rematch with Charles Oliveira at UFC 294 on Oct. 21, but Hooker doesn’t plan on waiting for him for too long. If Gamrot isn’t willing to fight in December or January, he’d be happy to take on Green.
“That’s it – Gamrot. I’m asking for Gamrot,” Hooker said. “If Gamrot doesn’t want it, me and Bobby Green mix it up. My manager’s already contacted Sean Shelby and the UFC that I’m good to go and I want to have a fight. So it’s first in, best dressed. If Gamrot wants to sit and wait, I’m not going to sit and wait. I’m not going to wait around for him. I’m ready for action.”
Green (31-14-1 MMA, 12-9-1 UFC) came up big as an underdog when he handed Dawson his first octagon loss. Hooker was impressed by his performance.
“Dawson’s legit. That kid’s a problem. That kid’s a problem,” Hooker said. “And then for Bobby to go out there and clean him up the way that he cleaned him up, that’s a heap of momentum. Beating No. 10, he’ll probably be No. 10 by the end of this week.
“You want to fight people that have heaps of momentum. You want to fight people that get you excited. I don’t think too much about it. Now I have a manager. I have to message him before I start calling people out. Bu I just straight away called after that performance. I was just like, ‘I’d love to fight him.'”
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 229.
Dan Hooker’s memorable war with Dustin Poirier had a huge impact on his UFC career.
[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag]’s memorable war with [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] was a big learning experience.
Hooker (23-12 MMA, 13-8 UFC) was outlasted by Poirier in a five-round barnburner in June 2020. Hooker won the first two rounds, but “The Diamond” was able to turn things around and inflict serious damage on Hooker, which resulted in a trip to the hospital.
After his setback to Poirier, Hooker would go on to lose three of his next four fights. However, “The Hangman” has found his groove again courtesy of back-to-back wins over Claudio Puelles, and Jalin Turner.
“I hit him (Poirier) with the kitchen sink, and then he just cruises through,” Hooker told Combat TV. “He comes out the next round and you’re just looking at him, he doesn’t care about that one bit, like cool as a cucumber. The things I learned in that fight have helped me win my last two fights. I kept quiet, but he (Puelles) fractured my knee, he wrecked my knee. But same thing, I wasn’t concerned. Not getting caught up, panicking and stuff like that.”
Hooker’s most recent win came over Turner in another back-and-forth battle at UFC 290 this past July. It was a rough start for Hooker, who lost the first round, before rallying in the final two rounds. Things played out oppositely for him from the Poirier fight, which he drew experience from.
“Same thing when I’m fighting Turner,” Hooker continued. “He’s teeing off on me and hitting me, rocking me and kicking me in the head, and I was staying cool. And I looked at him and I was like, ‘He’s panicking.’ He’s beating the crap out of me, and he’s the one having a panic attack. I was like, ‘Relax, bro.’ But yeah, it comes from experience.
“If I never had that humble pie from Dustin Poirier, then I wouldn’t be the fighter I am today.”
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Nearly 11 weeks after his epic Fight of the Night with Jalin Turner at UFC 290, Dan Hooker is ready to look forward to his next fight.
Nearly 11 weeks after his epic Fight of the Night with Jalin Turner at UFC 290, [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] is ready to look forward to his next fight.
Hooker (23-12 MMA, 13-8 UFC) got his hand raised by split decision against Turner in their lightweight bout in Las Vegas, but it came at a cost. He suffered a fractured orbital bone as well as a broken arm in the fight, the latter of which required surgery.
After going through the recovery process, Hooker said he’s now received clearance to resume his career (via X):
All clear from the Doc, let’s party. 🥳 pic.twitter.com/zJgPza5BF1
— Dan Hangman Hooker (@danthehangman) September 22, 2023
All clear from the Doc, let’s party. 🥳
After a rough stretch of four losses in five fights – albeit exclusively against the divisional elite – Hooker, 33, has now put his career back on track with consecutive wins at 155 pounds.
His post about return plans was met with at least one challenge in Renato Moicano, but it remains to be seen which direction the matchmakers decide to go now that Hooker’s services are available.
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Bobby Green might be unranked, but Grant Dawson still views him as a dangerous opponent at UFC Fight Night 229.
[autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] might be unranked, but [autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] still views him as a big fight.
Lightweights Dawson (20-1-1 MMA, 8-0-1 UFC) and Green (30-14-1 MMA, 11-9-1 UFC) will headline UFC Fight Night 228 on Oct. 7 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Dawson is currently ranked in the UFC’s top 10 at 155 pounds but sees a win over fan favorite Green propelling him forward regardless. Green is coming off a submission win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 291, and Dawson thinks underestimating him would be a grave mistake.
“Rankings, to me, doesn’t make any difference,” Dawson told MMA Junkie Radio. “I’m not fighting backwards in this fight, I’m not fighting forward, I’m just fighting. That’s what it is. Islam Makhachev got a title shot off of beating Bobby Green, so anything can happen in this sport. Bobby Green, if I’m not on my game and if I don’t respect him like he deserves to be respected, I’m going to be looking up at him off of my back getting woken up by the referee.
“I know how dangerous he is. I know how much experience he has. I know what a big following he has. I am ready for a very, very competitive and a very, very strong fight. I don’t like it when people are like, ‘Oh, you’re fighting behind.’ There is no fighting behind. We’re just fighting, that’s it. The only spot that matters is who’s champion. That is really the only thing that matters.”
If Dawson gets past Green, he hopes to draw [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] next. Hooker (22-12 MMA, 12-8 UFC) returned to the win column in July when he edged out Jalin Turner in a thrilling battle at UFC 290.
“After Bobby Green – obviously I’m only focused on Bobby Green, but after Bobby Green, we’re looking to fight against Dan Hooker,” Dawson said. “Assuming everything goes well, and I think that would be one of my breakout performances.”
Although a risky approach, Dawson thinks his willingness to fight anyone and remain active will eventually pay off and lead to his goal of becoming champion. Dawson is unbeaten in his past 12 fights.
“As long as I keep winning, I don’t think that they’ll be able to deny me much longer,” Dawson concluded. “I think that by the end of 2025, we will have a new champion and his name will be Grant Dawson.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 229.
