Dan Hooker reveals he may have to make weight for his UFC 266 one day after arriving in the U.S.
Dan Hooker has suggested that he might have to cut weight one day after arriving in the United States of America for his UFC 266 fight. Speaking to Ryan McKinnell on the Unlocking The Cage with Jimmy Smith podcast, Hooker stated:
“The US embassy here in Auckland has been closed. They told me – You know, we had some back and forth – They told me; they knew the timeline. They said, alright, this is three weeks ago, ‘Send your passport in.' And we’ll see if we can get it done, like, through the mail’. But yeah, they messaged me yesterday morning, ‘Oh, maybe the end of next week, we might be able to sort the thing out.'"
The New Zealand fighter added that their plan wouldn’t have worked for him, as he is scheduled to fight in the US on Saturday, September 25th, 2021.
‘The Hangman’ pointed out that his voice alone wasn’t enough to get the New Zealand authorities’ cooperation, which is why he brought this issue to light in the MMA community. Dan Hooker thanked the MMA fans who have voiced out their support for him in regards to his visa problems.
📽️ "I have my fingers absolutely crossed that I get my visa approved Monday."
@danthehangman shares an update on the visa issues threatening his fight at #UFC266 & the CRAZY week ahead of him if everything goes to plan🤞🏼@RyanMcKinnell
FULL INTERVIEW⏬
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dan… https://t.co/6Rr7kRo28x
Hooker insinuated that due to the public support he’s received over the matter, the authorities did eventually contact him. Hooker highlighted, however, that the path to his UFC 266 fight is still quite challenging, as he will have to cut weight one day after arriving in the US. Dan Hooker said:
“My flight is tomorrow. That is not gonna happen. I have a visa appointment, Monday, New Zealand time, so that’s Sunday in the US. They said, ‘Absolutely no promises. You come in for a visa appointment.' If that does happen, which, I have my fingers absolutely crossed, that I get my visa approved Monday – Which means I’ll probably get it back Tuesday. In New Zealand, you can only fly out of the country either; there’s only flights tomorrow which is Sunday, or Thursday."
Hooker added:
"So, the plan going forth – Go to my appointment Monday. Get my visa Tuesday. Fly out Thursday and arrive in the US. So, that’ll be, arrive in the US, Thursday, in Las Vegas; Thursday, about 8 pm. Weigh-in Friday, fight Saturday; that’s the plan."
Dan Hooker looks to return to winning ways
Dan Hooker’s most recent fight was a first-round TKO loss against Michael Chandler at UFC 257 in January 2021. Hooker was on the cusp of a UFC title shot prior to this loss and will now look to return to winning ways.
The Hangman is scheduled to face Nasrat Haqparast in a lightweight bout at UFC 266. The UFC 266 event will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on September 25th, 2021.