PHOTO: Dan Hooker finally gets inked, shows off massive back tattoo
Many MMA fighters are known for their love of body art. Promotional superstars like Conor McGregor and Israel Adesanya sport multiple tattoos. Now, Dan Hooker has also finally gotten inked.
Earlier today in an Instagram post, 'The Hangman' proudly revealed his massive back tattoo to the world. Sharing his excitement about finally getting inked, Hooker wrote:
"I'm not a virgin anymore... Tattoo Talks podcast ep inbound…"
From the looks of it, the UFC star seems to be sporting the image of an ancient samurai helmet with a lion crest on the forehead.
Samurai seems to be a recurring theme among UFC fighters' tattoos. Similar to Hooker, heavyweight fighter Alexander Volkov also sports a full-back samurai helmet tattoo.
Although once a dominant force in the UFC, 'The Hangman's MMA career has not fared well in recent years. While he came away with a TKO win in his most recent outing against Claudio Puelles, the New Zealander is 2-3 across his last five fights.
However, Hooker does hold notable wins over prominent mixed martial arts figures like Gilbert Burns, Jim Miller, Al Iaquinta, and Paul Felder, among others. From 2017 to 2018, he held a four-fight win streak in the UFC.
Hooker recently made headlines for accusing lightweight champion Islam Makhachev of using I.V. infusions before UFC 284.
Islam is a cheat. twitter.com/Mouserat_fan2/…
Islam Makhachev reponds to I.V. usage accusations by Dan Hooker
Last week, Dan Hooker went on a Twitter rant accusing lightweight champion Islam Makhachev of using I.V. infusions to get ready for his UFC 284 title clash against Alexander Volkanovski.
It was believed that UFC athletes are required to refrain from getting I.V. infusions above a 100ml dosage as per the promotion's drug policy, although recent revelations have suggested that fighters can exceed the limit should a licensed physician justify and perform the I.V.
Intravenous infusions are known to be used to manipulate an athlete's biological passport and mask steroid usage.
During his recent interview with Russian media, Makhachev clapped back at the allegations against him, stating that no official body has accused him of any malpractice:
"No official body has accused me of anything, neither the UFC nor USADA. It's just a few salty guys from Volkanovski's team. [They are] accusing [me] with no proof. The UFC and the athletic commission should settle this and punish those who make such unsubstantiated accusations. I can't put I.V. because it's forbidden, I don't do that stuff."
Catch Islam Makhachev's comments on Dan Hooker's allegations below: