"Incredible, unique individuals" - Dana White praises Dan Hooker and Nasrat Haqparast for not requesting a different weight for their UFC 266 fight
At the UFC 266 pre-fight press conference, Dana White lauded Dan Hooker and Nasrat Haqparast for their dedication and commitment towards their upcoming fight.
White praised both men for not asking for their UFC 266 bout to be contested at a different weight. That's despite both men experiencing trouble ahead of their clash and arriving in the country with little time to make their 156-pound limit.
"Making fights and getting fights to happen when they're supposed to is tough enough and then you look at the last couple of years we've had visas, border closing down, Covid and all that type of stuff to deal with.
"But these guys are both absolute studs I mean, if anybody knows the backstory, you know one of their moms just died. He flew home for the funeral, then turned around and came right back. Had visa issues that we had to fix and the same thing with Hooker. These guys are going to land today and they both want to fight on Saturday and they're both going to make weight according to them. Those are the type of people that are in this sport and that's why people love the sport so much. Incredible, unique individuals is all I can say."
Watch Dana White speak about the bout between Dan Hooker and Nasrat Haqparast below:
Dan Hooker is currently ranked No.8 on the lightweight ladder. He's hoping to end his two-fight losing streak in his bout against Nasrat Haqparast on Saturday.
Haqparast, meanwhile, is on a two-fight winning streak heading into this weekend's pay-per-view. He'll be looking to secure a top-15 place with a victory at UFC 266.
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The issues leading up to the fight between Dan Hooker and Nasrat Haqparast
As Dana White mentioned, Haqparast's mom recently passed away due to cancer. He flew back to Germany for her funeral. Haqparast then faced issues in obtaining his visa to travel back to the USA.
Dan Hooker also faced similar difficulties in getting his visa approved. He was stuck in New Zealand and unsure about whether his fight would go ahead. In the end, both men's struggles were resolved and we look set for an exciting prelim clash on September 25.
Passport and visa picked up ✅ Las Vegas we’re coming ! Weigh ins in 32 hours ! #UFC266 https://t.co/WTWNjSYB7y