Dan Hooker Admits to Strained Relations and Not Fighting in Australia Card After UFC 317 Tickets Were Canceled

No.6-ranked Dan Hooker shut down offer for UFC Perth after brass canceled tickets to watch CityKickboxing teammate at UFC 317 PPV main card.

Dan Hooker Admits to Strained Relations and Not Fighting in Australia Card After UFC 317 Tickets Were Canceled

Dan Hooker could have made UFC Perth slot, if he got to watch UFC 317 (Source: X)

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UFC fan favorite fighter and City Kickboxing Team product Dan Hooker was very close to a UFC Perth return. It is the second UFC event held in Australia this year. However, the UFC 155-pounder from New Zealand is yet to be booked for a fight. As it turns out, it had all to do with UFC 317.

The UFC 317: Topuria vs. Oliveira PPV event capped off this year’s summer IFW, with the UFC X fan experience and HOF induction ceremony in tow. Ilia Topuria captured the vacant divisional gold with a first-round knockout in the main event.

Kai Kara-France scrapped for a flyweight title bout on the co-main event. Hooker’s teammate had long projected he’d be the toughest ‘Kai’ on the block to challenge the reigning Alexandre Pantoja, not any other RIZIN FC FF champ. Hence, there was much anticipation about him fighting for the title. However, ‘Hangman’ was late to the affair and left hanging.

Obviously, it would’ve been cool to fight in Perth and go back to Perth, headline with Arman, but that’s eight weeks…would’ve been a bit of a rush for the hand to be good and ready by then…[But] I still was going to do it for fans.

Dan Hooker told Denis Shkuratov of the ‘Submission Radio’

The #6-ranked lightweight is on a three-fight win streak with back-to-back FOTN performances. After UFC 317, he recently poked Charles Oliveira, instigating a fight. If not, the fighter is ready to ride the coattails of his rivalry with #2 lightweight Arman Tasrukyan all the way to a title shot. Seemingly, a UFC Perth offer was on tap; Hooker explained what went wrong.

Then I went over to watch [Kai’s] fight, and they tried to get me out of bed at 7:30 a.m….the UFC booked me…Which is 3:00 a.m. New Zealand time. I didn’t even go out, I had an early night, but I’m not getting out of bed at 3 in the morning to do just about anything…didn’t go to the UFC thing, and they canceled my ticket to [it] UFC 317! So I’m going to rush back, and fight injured, for a company that’s going to cancel my tickets to the event when I’ve traveled all the way to Las Vegas? I would’ve fought [Perth], injured, but then someone at a desk crossed my name off of a list…

Dan Hooker further explained to the ‘Submission Radio’

Team CKB’s Kara-France has moved on after the title loss (third-round submission). But in the stem of other lightweights demanding some love their way, Hooker also wants some moniker of respect from UFC execs and pencil pushers who crossed him off.

As of now, Dan Hooker is highly projected to be Max Holloway’s next BMF title defense contested at 155 pounds. The fighter himself, who has several cases of hand injuries, thinks it comes a bit further down the line. As for UFC Perth event, there are two top crops in the block taking up that spot.

Dominick Reyes vs. Carlos Ulberg headlines UFC Perth in interesting skills clash

The return to Perth has the attention of many. Aussie welterweight Jack Della Maddalena currently holds the crown after the UFC 315 PPV main event in Montreal. It was thought he’d make a banger PPV title super fight against the former champ, Islam Makhachev.

UFC Perth gets new light heavyweight showdown
UFC Perth gets new light heavyweight showdown (Source: X)

However, it came to be that the visit to Perth would be a Fight Night (UFC Fight Night 260) after the last UFC 305 PPV visit to RAC Arena. Makhachev himself is also a better draw for October PPV slots in the combat capital of Abu Dhabi.

Names like Israel Adesanya and Auckland’s Ring Middleweight/WKBF X-Rules Welterweight fame, Dan Hooker, were considered. ‘Last Stylebender’ himself wanted to make a return against old rival Sean Strickland. But Strickland turned it down, and then the NAC suspended him from UFC ballot appearances. This was due to a cage skirmish at Tuff-N-Uff 145 on June 29.

Now, former title challenger Dominick Reyes, who is notably infamous for giving Jon Jones a stiff test, will headline UFC Perth. The promotion announced on Tuesday that the matter goes down on September 27 at RAC Arena in Western Australia.

After a health dump and a dry four-fight skid, Reyes has had a career resurgence and is on a three-fight win streak. He fought last in April, punctuating a first-round KO of one Nikita Kryvlov. He meets Carlos Ulberg, who recently bagged a close decision win against ex-champ Jan Blachowicz in March.

Undefeated in his last eight trips, Ulberg has been a sizzling contender and was booked for other top matchups before. The light heavyweight star notably trains with Hooker and former UFC 185-pound champion Adesanya at City Kickboxing grounds in New Zealand. Either fighter could make the case for a title shot with a win.

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