"Police cars have showed up looking for me" - Dan Hooker reveals he's not allowed to train at his own empty gym due to New Zealand's lockdown rules
For the past four weeks, Dan Hooker has been training at his house because he's not allowed to visit the gym that he owns. The 31-year-old said New Zealand's lockdown rules prohibit him from training at his empty gym, which has hindered his fight camp.
Hooker owns the Combat Academy gym in Auckland, New Zealand. In early September, the UFC lightweight and his coach Eugene Bareman were warned by Auckland police not to train at the gym because that would violate the city's Alert Level 4 restrictions.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Dan Hooker said:
"I train at City Kickboxing but I also own a gym. I own my own gym but I'm not allowed there. Under the lockdown, I'm not allowed at that gym even by myself under the New Zealand lockdown rules. Even though I own the gym and it's empty, I'm not allowed to go there by myself."
Hooker said people recently called the police and made false claims about him not complying with the lockdown rules. That's despite the fact he's been training at home.
As a result, he was questioned by police officers on numerous occasions. If the police receive another complaint, Hooker claims he would most likely get arrested.
"Someone called the police, made the false claim on what I was doing, where they came and investigated. They went and knocked on my rental property...I'm pretty sure they don't even know who I am. Well, they definitely do now, the police cars have showed up on me...I get caught one more time, they're gonna arrest me."
Watch Dan Hooker's full interview on The MMA Hour below:
Dan Hooker is set to take on Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266
New Zealand's stringent lockdown guidelines also left Dan Hooker's fight against Nasrat Haqparast in jeopardy. He is set to challenge his German opponent at UFC 266 this weekend.
After clearing several hurdles, Dan Hooker finally got his visa approved and he will board the Las Vegas flight this Thursday. He will have 12 hours to make weight after arriving in the city and will step into the octagon on Saturday night.
'The Hangman' last fought Michael Chandler at UFC 257 in January this year. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.
Squeaky wheel gets the oil. 😂 https://t.co/Kr3A4Z63El