"I got my spot" - Dan Hooker reveals he finally has a voucher to return home to New Zealand in January
Dan Hooker has revealed that he has finally secured a voucher to return home to New Zealand in the new year.
In the wake of his win over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266, many fans expected to see 'The Hangman' begin his long journey back down under. However, he instead opted to take a short-notice fight against Islam Makhachev the following month at UFC 267.
A lot of folks thought he was crazy and while he did end up losing via submission, Dan Hooker certainly earned the respect of the masses that night.
Now, after some more travel difficulties, the always-entertaining Dan Hooker has confirmed that his return to New Zealand is on its way. Speaking to The Mac Life's Oscar Willis, Hooker revealed:
“Some real good news - at my eighth lottery attempt, it’s quite a game. It’s a depressing game if you don’t get a spot. They gave away 4,000 spots so your number has to be under 4,000 to even be in with a shot. I haven’t been under 10,000 the previous seven [attempts], but then I played last night and bang, I got like 500th. That means I’m 500th through the door and I could pick what day I got to come home. I got my spot and I got to pick the day I can go home. I’m back in January. It’s perfect, I’ll be back before gyms are even open.”
Catch Oscar Willis' interview with Dan Hooker below:
What’s next for Dan Hooker?
Some have called Dan Hooker the next incarnation of Donald Cerrone, which, all things considered, may not be the worst spot for him.
Of course, fans don’t want to see him take any more damage, but Dan Hooker is the kind of warrior who is willing to step in there against anyone at any time. He’s a completely different animal and we'll likely see him taking another fight in the first or second quarter of 2022.
The constant back and forth nature of travel, though, definitely points towards the idea that City Kickboxing will complete their transition over to the United States next year.