[autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] is a lanky lightweight who uses his range to maximum efficiency. [autotag]Paul Felder[/autotag] is a buzzsaw who likes to bite down on his mouthpiece, close the distance and throw down.
That’s what made the main event of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 26 in Auckland, New Zealand, so intriguing on paper, and the fight delivered exactly what it promised.
For five grueling rounds, the duo put on a display that was equal parts skill and grit, as the duo pieced each other up.
In the end, Hooker (20-8 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who trains out of Auckland’s City Kickboxing, earned the hometown victory at Spark Arena via split decision. Hooker got the better end of two out of three 48-47 scorecards in a fight every bit as close as the scores indicate.
After the fight, Felder (17-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) indicated retirement might be in the cards.
“I knew it was close,” he said. “I feel like I hurt him a lot in the fight, but he got the takedowns, which is smart. He busted me up pretty good. That might be it for me.”
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The opening round saw Hooker, who had a four-inch reach advantage, utilize his range. He kept Felder at bay with front kicks and kicks to the lead leg. When Felder landed, however, he did so with authority, as he rocked Hooker with a pair of left hooks during the round, portending things to come.
By Round 2, Felder’s right eye was swollen shut, but he pressed forward. Hooker continued to play matador, continued to land kicks, and left Felder flustered.
In the third round, however, Felder managed to figure out how to close the distance and engage, even with one eye closed, and the fight’s momentum changed. Hooker never did have an answer for Felder’s powerful, well-placed lefts, and the damage started to add up.
In the fourth, the Rufousport standout continued to turn up the heat, and there was a sense Felder could win the fight after all. What had been a rowdy crowd at the fight’s outset grew nervous as the two exchanged, with Felder getting the best of things.
Both competitors went for the win in the fifth. What might have been the deciding moment came late, when Hooker parried a charging Felder and turned it into a takedown. Felder did his best to break free, but Hooker’s poise in the last-minute scrambles spelled the difference.
WOW! 👏
🇳🇿 THE HOMECOMING IS COMPLETE! #UFCAuckland pic.twitter.com/SUUHdM9NSo
— UFC (@ufc) February 23, 2020
In the overall fight stats (which can sometimes lack context, given that fights are scored round by round and not on the whole) Felder outlanded Hooker in significant strikes 133-119. Felder got the best of head strikes at 84-75, while Hooker landed 36 left strikes to Felder’s 28.
The victory was Hooker’s third in a row and seventh in eight fights since moving up from featherweight. He called for Justin Gaethje afterward. Felder, meanwhile, had a two-fight winning streak snapped. Both men were transported to a local hospital after the fight.
While there was high tension between both men in the buildup to the bout, Hooker was conciliatory after Felder hinted at retirement.
“An honor,” Hooker said of sharing the octagon with Felder. “He’s a tough son of a gun.”
Complete UFC on ESPN+ 26 results include:
- Dan Hooker def. Paul Felder via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 48-47)
- Jimmy Crute def. Michal Oleksiejczuk via submission (Kimura) – Round 1, 3:29
- Yan Xiaonan def. Karolina Kowalkiewicz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Marcos Rogerio de Lima def. Ben Sosoli via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 1:28
- Brad Riddell def. Magomed Mustafaev via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Zubaira Tukhugov def. Kevin Aguilar via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:21
- Jalin Turner def. Josh Culibao via TKO (ground-and-pound) – Round 2, 3:01
- Jake Matthews def. Emil Meek via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Song Kenan def. Callan Potter via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 2:20)
- Kai Kara-France def. Tyson Nam via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Angela Hill def. Loma Lookboonmee via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Priscila Cachoeira def. Shana Dobson via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:40
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