Dan Hooker reveals he asked Sean Shelby for featherweight fight against Brian Ortega
Dan Hooker revealed that he requested UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby for a fight with Brian Ortega on his return to the featherweight division.
During a recent episode on The MacLife's "Pub Talk", Hooker revealed that he had a conversation with Shelby, where he expressed a willingness to return to featherweight for a big fight. The City Kickboxing product then added that he asked for Brian Ortega as his opponent.
According to Hooker:
"After Kai's win [at UFC 269] I bumped into Sean Shelby on the way out. And that's the first time I've heard from him... since the featherweight [test weight cut]. He's obviously seen it... I asked for Korean Zombie, but he's injured. I asked about Ortega. He goes, 'Oh, I'll have a look. I'll send you a list.' I was amped up."
Even though he hasn't fought at 145 lbs since 2016, Hooker appears willing to return to the division following a successful test cut in November. He stated that he could "make the weight with ease" and even jested that he would fight Ortega for a Modelo sponsorship.
Here's Dan Hooker on Pub Talk:
Andre Ewell offers to welcome Dan Hooker to the featherweight division
Andre Ewell is moving up to the featherweight division following a 4-4 run at bantamweight. He is set to take on Charles Jourdain at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Daukaus.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda's Frank Bonada, the 33-year-old stated that he wanted to welcome Dan Hooker back to featherweight. He also expressed his admiration for Hooker. Ewell said:
"I'm a fan of Dan Hooker, no matter how you end up looking at it. I think that was a smart move for him... Now it's just gonna depend on who his first opponent's gonna be... I would love to be his first opponent, you know, like hands down. That would 100 percent be amazing fireworks right there. He's a fighter, I'm a fighter so being able to go with him, that'd be pretty cool."
Check out Sportskeeda MMA's exclusive interview with Andre Ewell below: