"I'll happily talk s**t about Charlie Olives" - Dan Hooker discusses a potential title fight against Charles Oliveira
Dan Hooker claims he won't hesitate to thrash talk UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira if the duo are pitted against each other sometime in the future.
During a recent interaction with Australian-based MMA show Submission Radio, 'The Hangman' Hooker spoke about a possible showdown with 'Do Bronx' Oliveira.
"Everyone knows that I'll happily talk s**t about Charlie Olives. I feel like there's years of me saying mean stuff about Charlie Olives to fall back on. Now I feel I am in too deep to even take any of it back. So I will just double down on it," said Hooker.
Watch Dan Hooker in conversation with co-hosts Kacper Rosolowski and Denis Shkuratov below:
No.6 lightweight contender Hooker slammed Charles Oliveira back in January after he refused to fight No.4-ranked Michael Chandler at UFC 257 due to weight management issues.
However, Charles Oliveira has since defeated Chandler at UFC 262 in May to claim the vacant lightweight belt. He is likely to face No.1 contender Dustin Poirier at UFC 269 in December next.
Dan Hooker will face Islam Makhachev on short notice at UFC 267
Just a few days after seeing off Nasrat Haqparast via unanimous decision at UFC 266 in Las Vegas, Dan Hooker accepted a fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi.
The No.5-ranked Makhachev was initially scheduled to face former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 267 on October 30. However, due to a recent surgery, Dos Anjos was ruled out of the bout.
Hooker decided to step in on short notice to take the 36-year-old Brazilian's spot on the main card.
Dan Hooker appreciation post 👏
▶︎ Took him six weeks to get home following fight in Jan due to NZ Covid rules
▶︎ Landed just 14 hours before making weight ahead of #UFC266 due to visa issues
▶︎ Takes fight 🆚 Islam Makhachev at #UFC267 back in Abu Dhabi in just four weeks https://t.co/nu3fjpnCxc
Despite struggling with visa issues and reaching the fight venue around 12 hours before the weigh-in, Dan Hooker dominated Haqparast during the preliminary card for UFC 266 on September 25.
That victory arrested a two-fight skid for Hooker and propelled him to the tied sixth spot in the UFC rankings for his division, alongside former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson.
A win against Islam Makhachev on Fight Island this month could possibly hand Hooker a title shot or the next title eliminator bout.