Dan Hooker celebrates City Kickboxing winning 'Best Gym' at the MMA Awards
During a recent interview, Dan Hooker spoke of the pride he has for everybody associated with City Kickboxing after the gym was presented with the 'Best Gym' at the MMA Awards on Thursday night.
'The Hangman' has been a pivotal member of the gym and has been flying its flag since joining the UFC over eight years ago. The New Zealand native has helped shape CKB into what it is today and it has been recognized as the best gym in the mixed martial arts world for 2022.
When asked how he was feeling after the win was announced, Dan Hooker celebrated the achievement of such a small team of fighters being able to outwork and eventually beat gyms like American Top Team to the award:
"It means everything, man. [A] small gym from the bottom of the world, [it] seems pretty crazy to me... I do [think City Kickboxing is the best gym in the world], I definitely do... It's an absolute honor, like, your competition proves how big of a deal it is to beat superstar gyms, bigger gyms [like] American Top Team."
Hooker managed to bring his losing streak to an end last time out by defeating the extremely tough Claudio Puelles by TKO late into the second round at UFC 281. The win moved him back up to the 11th spot in the division and on his way back toward a top-five lghtweight.
Although it is unclear who he'll stand across the octagon from, the 32-year-old has hopes of fighting in Australia and competing on the UFC 284 card in Perth early next year.
Watch the full interview with Hooker below.
Why did Dan Hooker's City Kickboxing win the 'Best Gym' award?
Despite not having the largest team in the sport, City Kickboxing is home to some of the greatest fighters mixed martial arts has ever seen and was rightfully recognized at the MMA Awards on Thursday.
The gym has the current #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world Alexander Volkanovski representing it each and every time he steps foot into the octagon, but the featherweight isn't the only superstar they have.
Although he fell short and lost his middleweight strap last time out, Israel Adesanya is also a proud member of City Kickboxing. Alongside the two, Dan Hooker, Brad Riddell, Kai Kara-France, and Carlos Ulberg, among others, call the gym their home.