Dan Hooker wasn’t about to disrespect Paul Felder in the traditional Maori greeting but intensely looked him in the eyes while doing so.
[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] wasn’t about to disrespect [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] in the traditional Maori greeting but made sure to look him straight in the eye while doing so.
The traditional Maori greeting involves two people pressing their noses, and sometimes foreheads, together often used as a way to greet people in major ceremonies.
And ahead of their headliner this Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 26 in Auckland, New Zealand, Hooker shook Felder’s hand then proceeded to intensely look into his eyes as they pressed noses. Hooker has made it clear this fight is personal for him, as he faced off with Felder for the second time.
Felder also faced off with Hooker’s City Kickboxing teammates, Brad Riddell, Kai Kara-France, and UFC champions Alexander Volkanovski and Israel Adesanya.
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While his faceoff with Felder may not have been as heated as the first time around, Hooker knew he had to hold back out of respect for the Maori culture.
“Accepting it coming in, the Maori’s is a place of peace,” Hooker said. “You can’t bring any tension like that to a Maori. It would have been incredibly disrespectful of me to push him or shove him or disrespect him and deny the hongi, so I’m a man of respect. I had to give the hongi because I respect the Maori culture so much, and I respect the people, and this is their land, this is the culture, so yeah, you have to abide by that. I have too much respect for the Maori culture to do anything silly or disrespectful.”
You can check out highlights of the ceremony above, as well as our photo gallery below.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 26 event in Auckland, New Zealand.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 26 event in Auckland, New Zealand.
Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC on ESPN+ 26 event staff predictions we release Friday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN+ 26 takes place Saturday (Sunday locally) at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. The event streams on ESPN+.
Make your picks for all six main card fights inside:
Dan Hooker vows to be the first person to take out Paul Felder when they square off in the UFC Auckland main event.
For [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag], his next fight has gotten personal.
Hooker (19-8 MMA, 9-4 UFC) will headline his first UFC show, a five-round lightweight bout vs. [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) at UFC on ESPN+ 26 in his home country of New Zealand.
Among them, Felder mentioned that he plans on knocking Hooker out in front of all his friends and family, and naturally, “The Hangman” didn’t take too well to that. He felt the fight was going to sell out regardless, considering the implications of the matchup in the division.
“It’s definitely crossed that line for me,” Hooker told MMA Junkie. “I didn’t feel that this fight needed any of that. I didn’t feel like this fight needed anything added to it, you know? We’re two of the best, we’re both just brawlers, we love to come in there and throw down.”
“I don’t think it was necessary, but if he wants to start throwing those things out there, I’m not going to sit back and take it. I’m going to retaliate, I’m going to bring the heat and yeah, it’s definitely crossed the line for me, gone into a very personal nature.”
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Hooker has finished five of his last six wins and has only gone the distance twice in his 19 pro wins.
And despite Felder only being stopped once in his career – and that only due to doctor’s stoppage – Hooker vows to be the first one to completely take him out.
“I’m going to fold that boy like a deckchair, I promise you,” Hooker said.
“I think it’s going to be a fast start. Whether it happens in the first or the fifth, I do not care. It’s up to him. It’s when he wants to take those risks, but I’m chinning that boy, I promise.”
While the bout should be fireworks as long as it lasts, for Hooker, being in his first promotional main event also means potentially going 25 minutes for the first time in his career.
The City Kickboxing fighter insists he loves the idea of having a full five rounds to work.
“My style is built around that,” Hooker said. “I don’t hold guys on the ground just to score points. I don’t throw my strikes to score points. I try to take as little damage as possible while taking the guy out as violently as possible, so I would prefer no time limit. So 10 minutes or an extra 25 minutes, that suits me perfectly. That’s just more time for me. I don’t need to touch you once to take you out, so if you give me an extra 10 minutes, woo wee, I’m going to take my time.”
The lightweight picture is slowly starting to unfold with the upcoming title fight between champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson at UFC 249. Meanwhile, a couple of hungry contenders are waiting in the wings.
Hooker is confident that a win over Felder will put him in that top-contender conversation, and he’s already made his intentions clear that he’s ready for the division’s best with his post-fight callout of former UFC interim lightweight champ Dustin Poirier after battering Al Iaquinta in his last outing at UFC 243.
“It gets me a shot at the top-five, without a shadow of doubt,” Hooker said. “We’ve got the Tony-Khabib fight coming up. (Justin) Gaethje’s waiting in the wings; he looks like he’s going to be the next shot or Conor (McGregor). Conor’s on a no-fight win streak at the moment, Gaethje’s on a three-fight win streak. Win over Felder puts me on a three-fight win streak, so that puts me in the same position as Gaethje, so either we fight, or he gets out of my way.”
“Main event, finish over Felder, that puts me in the top-five position. That gives me a crack at one of those big-name guys, 100 percent.”
See the official poster for UFC Auckland, which features a lightweight banger in the main event.
[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] will headline his first UFC event at home.
Hooker (19-8 MMA, 9-4 UFC) takes on [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) in the UFC on ESPN+ 26 main event in Auckland, in what is expected to be a barnburner between two surging lightweights.
UFC on ESPN+ 26 takes place Feb. 22 (Feb. 23 locally) at Spark Arena in Auckland. The card is set to be streamed live on ESPN+.
Having won six of his last seven bouts, Hooker will look to continue riding the momentum of his team City Kickboxing’s success as he climbs his way up the 155-pound rankings. He is coming off arguably his best performance to date, a unanimous decision win over Al Iaquinta, at UFC 243 last October.
Felder was able to avenge his loss to Edson Barboza as he edged a bloody, back-and-forth battle at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi. He has won five of his last six, with his lone loss coming via split decision to Mike Perry in July 2018.
The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.
Paul Felder wants Conor McGregor out of the lightweight rankings, so guys like him can continue their ascent toward title contention.
WASHINGTON – [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] hopes [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] stays at welterweight so he stops clogging up the 155-pound division.
Former UFC featherweight and lightweight champ McGregor, who was stripped of his lightweight title due to inactivity, has only competed once in the octagon over the past two years, failing to re-capture 155-pound belt in a fourth-round submission loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229.
But McGregor’s position in the lightweight rankings has remained high, and numerous fighters have called him out for a fight in order to move up the ladder. However, McGregor wasn’t interested in taking up any of the offers.
Instead, he is set to return at welterweight, when he takes on Donald Cerrone at UFC 246. McGregor mapped out a plan that starts with Jan. 18’s fight, followed by Jorge Masvidal, who’s a 170-pounder, eventually leading to a rematch with UFC lightweight champion, currently Nurmagomedov.
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And since McGregor’s next few fights appear to be at welterweight, Felder (17-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) wants McGregor (21-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) out of the rankings, or at least pushed down a few spots, so guys like himself can continue their assent towards title contention.
“That’s what I’m hoping, because he wants to fight at 170 and he’s hunting that Jorge Masvidal fight, then let him do that,” Felder told MMA Junkie. “Take him lower down the rankings so that guys like me and Dan Hooker, who are putting in work at 155 pounds, guys like Justin Gaethje, get him out of our way and let us fight for the belt in those big fights.
“If he’s still in the rankings in the top three, top five, guys are going to want to fight him, guys are going to want to call out. They’re going to wait to try to fight him and it just mixes things up. It muddies stuff up for us.”
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Felder will headline UFC Auckland when he takes on Dan Hooker on Feb. 22. A win over a fellow streaking lightweight, could place him in the upper echelon of the division, where guys like Justin Gaethje are waiting for their shot at the champion.
But Felder is surprised to see that Gaethje is opting to wait for a title shot, and should things go his way in Auckland, he would love to jump into a No. 1 contender spot.
“I’m surprised that an active guy like Justin wants to wait but he’s put in the work,” Felder said. “Let him do his thing. I don’t see that happening. I don’t see him just being able to sit around and wait for a title shot. Poirier is still looking for a fight. Depending on how things go on Feb. 23 it could be a quick turnaround and maybe a No. 1 contender spot could open up. I would love to fight Dustin. I have nothing but respect for that guy. But as you’ve seen I can have nothing but respect for a guy and it won’t stop me from getting in your grill and letting you know that I’m here to smash your face.”
Paul Felder will be entering the octagon against Dan Hooker at UFC on ESPN+ 26 with some bad intentions.
WASHINGTON – [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] will enter the octagon against [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] at UFC on ESPN+ 26 with some bad intentions.
Just days after their lightweight headliner was booked for February, Felder (17-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) traveled to New Zealand for media obligations and a faceoff with Hooker (19-8 MMA, 9-4 UFC). There was serious intensity between the two during the staredown, and it left “The Irish Dragon” all kinds of fired up.
Felder said there was nothing fabricated about the heat with Hooker, and he thinks it’s because the stakes of the matchup are so high.
“As far as intensity, that was real,” Felder told MMA Junkie. “I went down to New Zealand expecting a little bit of that from Dan because of how we interacted on social media. We kind of went back-to-forth a little bit. But that’s what it’s all about. We’re two guys that are trying to rally for a title shot after this one. We’re in each other’s way. That’s how it should be, that’s how it’s supposed to be when you’ve got a five-round main event with a guy.
“I’m invading into his country. My whole plan is to knock his ass out in front of all his friends and family and take that money and get out of there and go on to a title shot.”
Felder, 34, said he’s taking his opportunity against Hooker very seriously. He has been pushing hard for a big fight in the lightweight division after winning his past five bouts in the weight class, and now he gets his wish.
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UFC on ESPN+ 26, which takes place Feb. 22 at Spark Arena in Auckland and streams on ESPN+, will mark Felder’s first UFC main event appearance. He said he felt the promotion wasn’t all that keen to put him there, but intends to prove the right choice was made with his performance.
“I either wanted a really high ranked opponent or I wanted a main event,” Felder said. “I made that really clear to my manager, to Sean Shelby, to Dana White that, ‘Look, this is what I want.’ For some reason it seemed Dana was a little reluctant to give me that shot, to kind of give me that chance to step in there. I don’t know what it is about my style that is any question you wouldn’t want to have in a five-round fight.
“They finally trusted me, they gave me that opportunity and they gave me that shot. That’s what I want. I didn’t care that Dan’s the one ranked behind me, that stuff doesn’t matter. He’s been on an absolute killing streak right now. So if I take him out, that just sets me up for one more fight potentially until fighting for the belt.”
Despite the tense faceoff, Felder said he doesn’t have any true disdain for Hooker, other than the fact he’s the man standing in the way of achieving career goals. That’s all he needs to get his focus fully dialed in for fight night, though.
“We got some bad blood right now,” Felder said. “Obviously I’m trying to hurt this man. He’s trying to hurt me. But I respect his skillset, I know what he offers, I know what he brings to the table and he knows, based on that staredown, he knows what I’m coming with, too. He knows what he’s in for.”
UFC Auckland headliners Paul Felder and Dan Hooker engaged in an intense staredown outside Spark Arena in New Zealand.
If their first faceoff is any indicator of what we’ll get on Feb. 22, then we’re in for a banger.
[autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) takes on [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] (19-8 MMA, 9-4 UFC) in the main event of UFC Auckland, and the two faced off for the first time outside Spark Arena in New Zealand ahead of their fight.
Gauging from the intensity of the staredown, both guys mean business. On paper, this should be a good one.
The promotion also announced that tickets are officially on sale for UFC Fight Club members, in a card that will feature multiple fighters from the Australasian region such as Tyson Pedro, Jake Matthews and Ben Sosoli.
UFC Auckland takes place Feb. 22 (Sunday, Feb. 23 locally) at Spark Arena in Auckland. The card is likely to stream on ESPN+.
The Blue Corner is MMA Junkie’s blog space. We don’t take it overly serious, and neither should you. If you come complaining to us that something you read here is not hard-hitting news, expect to have the previous sentence repeated in ALL CAPS.
UFC Auckland will be headlined by lightweights Dan Hooker and Paul Felder.
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A lightweight banger is set for the UFC Auckland main event.
[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag](19-8 MMA, 9-4 UFC) faces [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) on Feb. 22. The UFC announced the fight Wednesday not long after Hooker announced the matchup himself on Twitter.
Felder issued a cryptic tweet Tuesday that was two emojis long: a champagne bottle and a smiley face.
Since moving up to lightweight, Hooker has won six of seven bouts, with his lone loss coming at the hands of Edson Barboza. He is coming off a “Performance of the Night” knockout over James Vick, and a unanimous decision over Al Iaquinta in October. He gets the opportunity to headline a show at home in the first main event of his UFC career.
Felder has faced similar opposition in his most recent few outings, winning four of his past five fights. He is coming off back-to-back wins over Vick and, most recently, a split decision over Barboza at UFC 242, avenging his loss from their previous meeting in 2015.
UFC Auckland takes place Feb. 22 (Sunday, Feb. 23 locally) at Spark Arena in Auckland. The card is likely to stream on ESPN+.
Charles Oliveira, Francisco Trinaldo and Randy Brown were among those with specific names in mind for their next fight after UFC Sao Paulo.
Earning wins in the UFC is certainly no easy task, but what comes next is often even more important: the post-fight callout.
So after Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 22 event in Sao Paulo, who took advantage of their time on the mic? See below for this week’s Callout Collection – and just how realistic each one is.
* * * * *
First up, let’s take a look at the night’s prelim winners.
Randy Brown
Wants to fight: [autotag]Michael Chiesa[/autotag]
Michael Chiesa
The callout: “I got somebody I want to talk to: Michael Chiesa, I’ve always wanted a fight with you, my brother, and I don’t want to have to talk about your momma in order to get this fight, so let’s make it happen, my brother.”
The reality: To be honest, I really don’t hate the idea of this fight, and I like the way [autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) approached the request. It was respectful, but it had a little humor in it, as well, bringing up the infamous Chiesa-Kevin Lee press conference exchange ahead of their 2017 clash. The two rangy fighters would likely provide an entertaining contest, and Brown’s obviously improved submission skills mean that he’s becoming a more well-rounded challenge.
If I’m being honest, though, I can’t see where Chiesa (16-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC) agrees to this. Yes, the former lightweight is relatively new in the welterweight division, but he came in with wins over true legendary names in Carlos Condit and Diego Sanchez. Sure, you can argue that neither of those men are at their peak right now, but you can’t deny the starpower they carry. For that reason, I see Chiesa looking for an opponent with a number next to his name, and I’m guessing the UFC will oblige.
The callout: “I would like to face Edson Barboza next. He is the best muay Thai athlete in Brazil. I think it would be a great match.”
The reality: For years, it seemed Brazilian fighters not only weren’t all that interested in facing their countrymen but actually went out of their way to avoid clashing, regardless of the circumstances. But Saturday’s card had a number of Brazil vs. Brazil matchups, and those days seem to be changing, a welcome development. Now, you’ve got a Brazilian folk hero in [autotag]Francisco Trinaldo[/autotag] (24-7 MMA, 14-6 UFC) outwardly asking for a fight with another standout from his home nation in Barboza (20-6 MMA, 14-6 UFC).
In truth, Barboza isn’t really one to be calling the shots right ow. He faces only the absolute best fighters in the division, but he’s at 1-4 in his past five appearances and is going to have to take whatever is offered. That might be good news for Trinaldo, who has had mixed results in his UFC run but in seven years has had only brief exposure to the top-tier talents at 155 pounds.
Both guys probably see this as a winnable fight, and I can’t see more pressing needs for either of them. Let’s tee it up for that rumored Brasilia event in March.
Wants to fight: [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] or [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag]
Conor McGregor and Paul Felder
The callout: “I’ve been here for 10 years. I always say I want a ranked opponent. I’ll call it by the name: Conor McGregor, come on, or else Paul Felder, the last one to beat me. Come on. I’ll meet you again.”
The reality: [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag](28-8 MMA, 16-8 UFC) has been in the UFC for more than nine years, and we’ve watched him grow up in front of us, in both the physical sense and as a fighter, in general. Along the way, he’s turned in some incredibly memorable performances – well, memorable except for the fact that he has always taken the “whatever is next” approach to his career. Now, at 30, Oliveira is finally speaking out.
In truth, he deserves it. Finally admitting he’s not a featherweight, Oliveira has embraced his move to 155 pounds is now riding a six-fight winning streak – a run that includes five “Performance of the Night” awards. That’s incredibly impressive.
The McGregor call-out, well, that’s a little disappointing, but it’s understandable. McGregor is still a huge name, and I’m sure to a submission ace like Oliveira, the Irishman looks like an easy paycheck. But let’s be honest. It ain’t happening.
Felder? Well, “The Irish Dragon” was the last man to beat Oliveira, and I’m sure he’d appreciate a shot at revenge. Of course, Felder is in the midst of a 5-1 run right now, as well, with the lone loss in that span coming in a welterweight fight, and he’s hoping for a No. 1 contender fight – or something close to it – as he manages the final stages of his in-cage career before jumping full-time into the broadcast booth.
For those reasons, I don’t know that I see either of these coming together. The good news for Oliveira, though, is the top of the division is all unbooked right now. Islam Makachev isn’t a big name, but his reputation is strong among fighters. Or perhaps Kevin Lee?
At UFC on ESPN+ 22, Charles Oliveira stole the show with his performance inside the cage – and on the microphone.
[autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] stole the show with his performance inside the cage – and on the microphone – Saturday at UFC on ESPN+ 22,
The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Oliveira (28-8 MMA, 16-8 UFC) smoked Jared Gordon (15-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) with an uppercut to earn a quick TKO victory. After a string of 23 professional fights and nine years without winning by knockout, Oliveira has picked up back-to-back finishes by strikes.
“I came to the UFC to make history,” Oliveira said. “I never asked for bonuses inside the octagon. I always focused on winning. This week everyone came to me asking if it would be a knockout or a finish. I said it didn’t matter; I just wanted to win. My coach even told me that I should not seek the knockout. It would happen naturally.”
After he danced and celebrated his win, the second order of business was for Oliveira to call out his next opponent. Two names came to mind: a lightweight clash with former dual champion [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag] or a rematch with [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag].
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After the fight, Oliveira explained the challenges and why McGregor and Felder’s names were on the tip of his tongue when Michael Bisping put the microphone in front of him.
“I never called out opponents. I have always accepted all the fights,” Oliveira said. “But I think now it’s time. That is the reason I called out Conor McGregor and Paul Felder, who is the last guy that beat me.
“I want to prove that I am part of the group of the best athletes in this division. I’m not injured. I am 100 percent. I will be at the gym on Monday.”
Whether it be Felder, McGregor, or someone else, Oliveira will be seeking his seventh straight stoppage victory when he returns to the cage. The Brazilian has not lost since his first meeting with Felder at UFC 218 in December 2017. Felder won by second-round TKO.
