"We're past the point of all the fans even buying into the character" - Dan Hooker on Colby Covington's "pro wrestling avenue" of selling fights
Dan Hooker believes MMA fans can see through the image that Colby Covington has built of himself. According to 'The Hangman', Covington's way of promoting himself has been taken straight out of the pro-wrestling handbook.
While Hooker understands the reasoning behind Covington's persona, he doesn't think it'll serve the sport well in the long run. The 32-year-old told John Hyon Ko of The AllStar:
"Now we're past the point of all the fans even buying into the character that he's putting on. I feel like the entire MMA audience can see what he's doing, can see that he's mimicking, like, pro-wrestling avenue of selling a fight and I can understand that, I just don't think that's the way the sport will evolve and go long term. Or even the best avenue for the sport to go and evolve."
Watch Dan Hooker's interview with John Hyon Ko below:
Dan Hooker believes the pro-wrestling model of building up hated characters is already on the decline. He believes it isn't the right model for MMA fighters to follow. The Kiwi also noted that even the highest paid athletes in the world from any other professional sport like soccer or tennis don't build a persona around themselves.
Dan Hooker doesn't believe Colby Covington is capable of selling pay-per-views
Colby Covington dominantly outwrestled Jorge Masvidal on his way to a unanimous decision victory at UFC 272. Covington proceeded to call out Dustin Poirier in the immediate aftermath of his victory over 'Gamebred'.
Watch Covington's callout to Poirier below:
According to Dan Hooker, Covington's callout was just an attempt to fight someone capable of selling pay-per-views. Hooker believes that 'Chaos' doesn't rank among the few UFC athletes who can sell fights without a belt being on the line. 'The Hangman' further told The AllStar:
"He just calling out another guy that sells pay-per-views. That’s another pay-per-view opportunity for him to build his brand. Regardless of what you think about his character, he is very aware of what he is doing and how he is trying to set it up. He’s still not in that position to be one of those guys to get pay-per-view points. There’s only a handful of guys in the UFC that are not titleholders."
Colby Covington finds himself in an awkward position in the welterweight division. While he currently occupies the No.1 spot in the rankings, the polarizing American is well aware that a title fight at welterweight is unlikely. His two losses to Kamaru Usman, the reigning welterweight champ, have prompted Covington to look elsewhere as he contemplates his next opponent. While a fight against Dustin Poirier is on the cards, he's teased a move to middleweight as well.