Dan Hooker claims he will fight on the UFC 271 card in February, headlined by Israel Adesanya

Dan Hooker (left) and Israel Adesanya (right) [Image credits: @danhangman on Instagram]

Dan Hooker will take on Islam Makhachev in a three-round bout at UFC 267 this weekend. However, 'The Hangman' is already setting his sights on his first appearance of 2022.

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A post shared by Dan "Hangman" Hooker (@danhangman)

In the lead-up to his fight on Saturday, Hooker expressed interest in fighting at UFC 271, a card expected to be headlined by his teammate and friend Israel Adesanya next year.

During media day for UFC 267, Hooker was asked about his plans post-October 30. The 31-year-old replied by saying:

"I haven't really thought past Christmas in New York. We got all those three-fight shows, Bam Bam [Tai Tuivasa], Brad Riddell, Kai Kara-France, New York for Christmas, Israel [Adesanya] is up in February, I'll be on that card as well. Let's get it going."

Catch Dan Hooker's full UFC 267 media day appearance below:

MMA journalist Aaron Bronsteter recently revealed UFC president Dana White confirmed to him that Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker will square off in a rematch at UFC 271.

Just spoke to Dana White who tells me that UFC 271, expected to be headlined by Israel Adesanya vs. Robert Whitaker is being targeted for either Seattle or a major Canadian city on February 12, 2022.

Clarification: An error was made when Dana relayed this to me in our interview. Seattle and Canada are being looked at for an event in 2022, but not UFC 271.

'The Last Stylebender' and 'The Reaper' previously fought at UFC 243. The fight took place at the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia. Adesanya made easy work of Whittaker, finishing him in the second round to become the new middleweight king of the UFC.

Dan Hooker wants his fight with Islam Makhachev to be a five-rounder

After accepting a short-notice fight against Islam Makhachev for UFC 267, Dan Hooker decided to make things even more interesting. 'The Hangman' put out a tweet calling for the fight to be changed to five rounds.

Let's make it 5 rounds? 👊

Later, in an interview with Submission Radio, the 31-year-old explained the reason behind his demand.

"I feel like a five-rounder. You know, I just finished one of the last hard sessions of my camp and I'm feeling like a five-rounder. So, if we can make that happen, then I'm 100 percent in. Let's make it five [rounds]. I feel like people are intrigued by this matchup, as intrigued by this matchup as the co-main [event] and main [event]. So, let's do it justice."

Catch Dan Hooker's full appearance on Submission Radio below:

With the fight now only three days away, it doesn't appear as if Hooker's wish will be met by the UFC.