"He's been locked inside for two months" - Dan Hooker understands why Israel Adesanya is losing his patience with the New Zealand government
Dan Hooker has weighed in on Israel Adesanya’s recent jibes at the New Zealand government. The 31-year-old said he understands why Adesanya is opposing the strict lockdown norms that have been enforced by the government in the last few months.
New Zealand fighters Dan Hooker and Israel Adesanya are considered two of the best MMA competitors in their respective weight classes today.
Hooker, the No. 6-ranked UFC lightweight, recently appeared on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani and addressed Adesanya's situation in New Zealand:
“He (Israel Adesanya) has been locked inside for two months. Two months, he’s been in his house. He’s going crazy."
Hooker also noted that his experience has been a bit different since he’s not in New Zealand right now. He said:
“Like, a little different for me because I’m not over there in New Zealand, kind of experiencing it. I’m not trying to have a go at New Zealand or paint New Zealand in a bad light at all. That’s the last thing I wanna do.”
According to Hooker, he and his fellow City Kickboxing teammates are simply trying to let the government know how strict lockdown rules are adversely affecting their careers. He said:
“It’s difficult, man. Damned if you do. Damned if you don’t. But I definitely feel like what Israel is doing by being pretty vocal about it and bringing light to the situation has allowed a lot of other sportsmen in New Zealand to kind of step up and just be like, ‘Yeah, like, we’re kind of stranded too. We’re getting stuck out too’. So, there’s like golfers and racecar drivers and all sorts of people getting stuck overseas from New Zealand.”
You can watch Dan Hooker’s interview in the video below:
Dan Hooker and Israel Adesanya have pivotal matchups on the horizon
Dan Hooker is coming off an impressive unanimous decision win over Nasrat Haqparast whom he faced at UFC 266 in September 2021. He will next face Islam Makhachev after Rafael dos Anjos pulled out of his fight against the Russian due to injury issues.
The Makhachev-Hooker matchup will take place at UFC 267 on October 30th, 2021. The winner could find themselves in the title picture at lightweight.
Less than one week after his UFC 266 win, Dan Hooker has agreed to face Islam Makhachev at UFC 267 on Oct. 30, Dana White told @bokamotoESPN.
Hooker is replacing Rafael dos Anjos, who was forced out of the UFC 267 bout against Makhachev due to injury. https://t.co/BvaMJO7TwM
Meanwhile, UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya’s next fight is expected to be a rematch against Robert Whittaker. The fight is likely to transpire in January 2022.