Dan Hooker volunteers for a fight against Nate Diaz in the UFC lightweight division
Dan Hooker has volunteered for a fight against Nate Diaz in the UFC lightweight division.
A tweet regarding Nate Diaz’s UFC 263 welterweight bout contained the suggestion that Diaz ought to return to the lightweight division. In response to this tweet, Dan Hooker indicated that he’d be willing to welcome Diaz back to lightweight:
Dan Hooker responded to the tweet by simply using an emoji, suggesting that he’d be ready to fight Nate Diaz in a lightweight matchup.
Hooker has competed in various weight classes, even heavier weight classes as high as heavyweight, in his kickboxing career. Meanwhile, he’s largely competed in lighter weight classes in his MMA career, predominantly featherweight and lightweight.
The MMA stalwart hailing from New Zealand rose to the upper echelons of the UFC lightweight division after moving up to the division from featherweight in 2017. Hooker boasts a 7-3 record in his latest run at lightweight. ‘The Hangman’ is currently on a two-fight losing streak, with his most recent fight being a first-round TKO loss against Michael Chandler at UFC 257.
On the other hand, Nate Diaz has competed in the lightweight and welterweight divisions over the course of his long and storied MMA career. Diaz’s last fight at lightweight was a unanimous decision win over Michael Johnson at UFC on FOX: Dos Anjos vs. Cerrone 2 in December 2015.
Following this, Nate Diaz competed in a pair of iconic fights against fellow MMA legend Conor McGregor in 2016. Diaz then fought Anthony Pettis and Jorge Masvidal in 2019. This was followed by the Stockton native’s most recent fight, his UFC 263 thriller against Leon Edwards on June 12th, 2021.
Nate Diaz’s fight against Johnson was contested at lightweight (155 pounds), whereas the five aforementioned fights were all contested at welterweight (170 pounds).
Dan Hooker looks to return to his winning ways, whereas Nate Diaz aims to continue fighting after a bittersweet UFC 263
In the aftermath of his loss against Michael Chandler, Dan Hooker indicated that he aims to return to the win column at the earliest. Hooker is expected to compete against a fellow high-ranking UFC lightweight in his next fight.
Meanwhile, after being outworked for most of his five-round welterweight bout against Leon Edwards, Nate Diaz almost finished Edwards towards the end of round five. Edwards was awarded a unanimous decision victory on the judges’ scorecards.
Nevertheless, the consensus in the MMA community is that it was Nate Diaz’s stock that rose after their UFC 263 thriller. Diaz later revealed that he’d like to fight again within the next three to four months.
Neither Dan Hooker nor Nate Diaz has an opponent booked for their next fight. Regardless, earlier this year, Diaz emphasized that he’s done with the lightweight division and intends to take fights at welterweight instead.
Considering that, a potential lightweight matchup between Dan Hooker and Nate Diaz is seemingly unlikely to come to fruition in the near future.