Dan Hooker admits that he doesn't have the "championship mindset" following loss to Dustin Poirier
Dan Hooker has been reflecting a lot on his recent defeat to Dustin Poirier. It was the biggest fight of his career and largely considered a Fight of the Year candidate after the classic that the two put on.
Ultimately, Dan Hooker lost to Dustin Poirier via a clear-cut unanimous decision and he's now gone back to the drawing board, and on Instagram, he put out a post reflecting on his loss to Dustin Poirier.
He said that his entire approach needs to change:
It isn't too late for Dan Hooker. He's shown plenty of improvement since his brutal loss to Edson Barboza and a win or two could put him right back in the Top 5 and in the mix for a future title opportunity.
Is Dan Hooker still a threat in the Lightweight division
Despite not breaking into the upper echelon of Lightweight fighters, reaching the Top 5 is no easy task. Dan Hooker is going to get a highly-ranked opponent regardless, and as of now, Charles Oliveira seems to be the best option.
Dan Hooker trains with the City Kickboxing Gym in Auckland, New Zealand under Eugene Bareman - a man who has recently been recognized as one of the best MMA coaches in the world.
He's been the mastermind behind Israel Adesanya's meteoric rise in the UFC and also had a lot to do with Alexander Volkanovski's title success at Featherweight. He'll be eager for Dan Hooker to bounce back and add another UFC Championship.
There's certainly no shame in losing to Dustin Poirier who was just coming off a loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov. Many fans underestimated Dan Hooker's chances against Poirier, but he held his own and dished out a lot of punishment as well. He proved that he belongs in the Top 5.