UFC lightweight Dan Hooker reveals he's accepted next fight against mystery opponent
UFC Lightweight Dan Hooker revealed in an interview with Submission Radio that he has accepted a fight and is in training camp. However, the Kiwi refused to tell reveal the details of the opponent.
Hooker is the 6th ranked fighter in UFC and one of the contenders for the title, especially if it is taken away from Khabib Nurmagomedov. Hooker admitted he hasn't signed a contract for the bout but is hoping that the fight comes through.
Who could Dan Hooker face in his next UFC fight?
Dan Hooker did hint in the interview that he might be fighting early next year. Michael Chandler could be a potential opponent for Hooker, with the Kiwi admitting in the past that he wanted the fight.
In the same interview with MMAJunkie, Dan Hooker also said that he wants to fight Justin Gaethje:
Hands down, I want the Gaethje fight. Just to me, as a fan of the sport, watching it from the outside, having Chandler turn down the Ferguson opportunity in December kind of takes away a lot of that gung-ho mystique off of him.
He was coming into the UFC from another organization saying, ‘I’ll fight anyone, I’m ready to go, I’m ready to step in for the title.’ He stands on the scale and essentially makes weight and that rules him out of a fight against Tony Ferguson which, you beat Tony Ferguson, you pretty much position yourself as that next guy in line for a title shot.
Gaethje, though, might be waiting for the winner of Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier for a potential title fight:
I’m number one so of course I want to fight for that f*cking belt, that’s why I’m here. Poirier and McGregor are fighting soon so I want to fight the winner of that.
Dan Hooker is an interesting fighter in the division with his long-range standup style. He will match up well against either Gaethje or Chandler, although Rafael Dos Anjos might also be in the picture.