Dan Hooker returned to the win column after stopping Claudio Puelles at UFC 281. Hooker is known for his bloodied wars against the likes of Dustin Poirier and Edson Barboza, but his career took a different turn as he went 1-3 in his last 4 outings in the lightweight division.
Hooker came up with a plan and decided to move back to the featherweight division. After an initial skid against Arnold Allen, Hooker found his footing and came back stronger to stop Puelles in the 2nd round of their contest. Hooker is almost too big for the weight class, and if he can keep on putting performances like these, he’ll soon be fighting for the featherweight title.
While the win at MSG Arena was a big deal for Hooker, his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan is being described as the best moment of his career. Hooker dropped an Instagram post dedicated to this, where he wrote, “I’ve had a ton of incredible moments throughout my career thus far. However none sweeter than my lips smooching the glorious dome of the legend that is (Joe Rogan)”
Dan Hooker discussed the possibility of facing Alexander Volkanovski for the featherweight title
Dan Hooker moving to the featherweight division means he would have to cross paths with his dear teammate Alexander Volkanovski, in case he wants to pursue an ambition to the belt.
Volkanovski is now booked to face the new lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev for the status of ‘double champ.’ The number one pound-for-pound fighter believes he’s being underestimated by Team Makhachev, and he’d surprise a lot of people in their upcoming fight.
Hooker on the hand understands that he still needs to put in a lot of work before he could face his teammate for the title, and discussed this in an old interview, where he said, “It is a good problem to have. When you and your mate are so good that there is no one else to decide who the best in the world is. I’m not going to be worried about a future problem.”
