"Either one of those guys can give Oliveira a run for his money" - Al Iaquinta discusses Islam Makhachev vs. Dan Hooker
Dan Hooker has stepped in for the injured Rafael dos Anjos to take on Islam Makhachev at the UFC 267 event in Abu Dhabi. The bout is scheduled to take place on October 30, just four weeks removed from Hooker's dominant victory over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266.
Former UFC lightweight title challenger Al Iaquinta has weighed in on the upcoming bout between 'The Hangman' and the Dagestani. According 'Raging Al', Dan Hooker will be the toughest test of Makhachev's career to date. Iaquinta, who has previously faced the New Zealander, also believes that Hooker could surprise people with his grappling skills.
Ultimately, Al Iaquinta believes it is a really good matchup as both fighters could give lightweight king Charles Oliveira a "run for his money." During an appearance on Submission Radio, the veteran said:
"A really interesting fight. I think this is probably the biggest test for Makhachev. I think Hooker's gonna surprise people with his wrestling and his scrambling ability, his standup, you know. Either one of those guys can give Oliveira a run for his money."
Watch Al Iaquinta's interview with Submission Radio below:
Dan Hooker wants to make Islam Makhachev look human
Dan Hooker will be far away from his family for an indefinite period of time after he accepted the fight against Islam Makhachev. However, Hooker believes a dominant win against Makhachev at UFC 267 could immediately put him in title contention.
While Islam Makhachev has consistently been dominating his opponents, Dan Hooker wants to prove that the Dagestani is human. Speaking of his upcoming opponent, 'The Hangman' recently told The Mac Life:
"A bit of the Khabib (Nurmagomedov) mystique has rubbed off on him and his last few performances have been fairly dominant. I’ve trained with Drew (Dober) and the way he fought Drew was pretty decisive. Even his last fight, he came out there and it was a pretty dominant fight. So there’s definite skill there but I would love to be the first one to get out there and make him look human, because I know we all are. That’s the funny thing about it, people can say whatever they’re gonna say, like, ‘ Oh, this guy’s unbeatable, this guy’s untouchable!’ I’ve been in the gym with these guys. They all bleed, they all get tired, they all get injured, they all get hurt and I know I can put anyone’s lights out. To everyone else he’s kind of a mysterious character that has a lot of mystique and invincibility, to me he’s just another body.”
Watch Dan Hooker's interview with The Mac Life below: