Dan Hooker called out Conor McGregor at UFC 305 just to "snake that fight off" Michael Chandler
Dan Hooker was able to win his third consecutive bout as he defeated Mateusz Gamrot via split decision at UFC 305 last weekend. Following the fight, he shocked fans by calling out Conor McGregor in his post-fight octagon interview.
'The Hangman' recently revealed that the call-out was simply to troll his former opponent Michael Chandler, who has spent nearly two years inactive waiting for his clash with 'The Notorious'. Speaking to Oscar Willis of The Mac Life, the No.5-ranked lightweight stated:
"I didn’t necessarily call him out, I just said that because I am an absolute troll, so it’s like the biggest troll move you could do of all time is to snake that fight off [Michael] Chandler. Like, he waits all that time and then Conor just fights me anyway, like, that would be gold. Like, I would feel like the biggest snake troll of all time. I'll get my black belt in the troll Olympics."
Check out Dan Hooker's comments on calling out Conor McGregor below (starting at the 7:49 mark):
McGregor has not competed since breaking his leg when he suffered a first-round TKO loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 over three years ago. Meanwhile, Chandler has not competed since falling to 'The Diamond' at UFC 281 in Nov. 2022.
The pair were set to clash at UFC 303, however, the former double champ was forced to withdraw after breaking his pinky toe.
Dan Hooker game to fight any lightweight opponent
Dan Hooker recently shared that the UFC wants him to face Charles Oliveira, noting that he is open to the bout. He added that he is open to facing any opponent in his interview with Oscar Willis of The Mac Life, stating:
"I couldn’t care less, mate. All of them - even Arman [Tsarukyan]. I said to Hunter [Campbell], I said to Sean [Shelby], I said, 'I’d like to fight Arman' because, yeah, screw it. We’ll go the toughest way to the title we possibly can. That’s [Jalin] Turner, [Mateusz] Gamrot, Arman, Islam [Makhachev]. I just don’t care. I would prefer the hardest road to the title that I possibly could."
Check out Dan Hooker's comments on being open to any lightweight opponent below (starting at the 8:25 mark):
Hooker added that he let Hunter Campbell know that he hates Tsarukyan and is planning to smash his face. The No.1-ranked lightweight appears in line to receive the next title opportunity, however, a hand injury to Islam Makhachev could lead him to fight once more.