"I didn't really care about him until Khabib retired" - Dan Hooker explains why Islam Makhachev fight didn't happen
Dan Hooker has explained why a fight between him and Islam Makhachev did not happen. Hooker admitted that he initially should've kept his mouth shut and shouldn't have prompted Makhachev when 'The Hangman' had already gotten himself booked in a fight against Dustin Poirier.
During an interview with Submission Radio, Dan Hooker stated that Makhachev was "chirping" at Hooker. For the Kiwi fighter, a bout against Makhachev didn't make sense, as he did not want to go back and decline the opportunity of fighting a higher-ranked opponent.
Hooker finally admitted that he did not care about Makhachev until Khabib Nurmagomedov had retired. The Kiwi fighter believes Makhachev has moved into the space that was left by 'The Eagle.'
"I already had a fight, I should've shut my mouth but it's a trait of Dan Hooker, he's a bit of a loose lips. But I already had found a fight and after that fight, they were already saying, you gonna fight Dustin Poirier next and then he [Islam Makhachev] chirped up again. I already had Poirier, so it doesn't make any sense once I already have guys ranked higher than me or guys I saw as a tougher challenge for myself to take those fights, rather than go back. I didn't really care about him until Khabib retired, if we are all being honest, he wasn't really held to the same esteem as long as Khabib was around but then once Khabib retired, he moved into that space or filled that void he left behind."
Dan Hooker stated that Makhachev shouldn't be going around saying 'The Hangman' is scared to fight him, knowing that it doesn't fit the narrative.
"He was saying, you know, I was scared, scared. So I said, it just doesn't make sense, before it did make sense for me, now it doesn't make sense for you. Just say it doesn't make sense, don't walk around and tell the world and tell everyone that people are scared of you because we're all professional fighters here. That's a silly narrative to walk around and say everyone's scared of you."
Check out Dan Hooker's interview with Submission Radio here:
Dan Hooker will return at UFC 266
Dan Hooker will make his octagon return at UFC 266 in a fight against Nasrat Haqparast. The bout will be Hooker's first since losing to Michael Chandler earlier in the year.
'The Hangman' will aim to get back in the win column once again, having last won a fight in February 2020 when he beat Paul Felder in a highly controversial contest.