"I lost to 3 of the top-5 guys" - Dan Hooker on being treated as gatekeeper of the lightweight division
Dan Hooker has spoken candidly about the feeling of being treated like the gatekeeper of the lightweight division.
While he may not always get his name in the win column every single time he goes out to fight, nobody can deny that Dan Hooker is one of the most exciting guys to watch in the UFC.
Whether it’s the first round or the fifth, he always gives everything he’s got in the name of entertaining the fans.
However, with three defeats in his last four at 155 pounds, it’s safe to say he’s had some struggles in recent times.
During a recent interview with It's Time For Sports, Hooker spoke about what it feels like to be dubbed a gatekeeper between the rising stars and the genuine contenders at lightweight.
“What, I’m gonna spend the next couple of years gatekeeping the top 10? That’s not the position that I seek for myself. That’s not the caliber of competition I feel like I should be fighting. It’s time to get the ducks in a row and stop mucking about.
“The fact of the situation is that I’ve lost to three of the top-five guys [at lightweight]. Under that landscape, just as facts, you’re not gonna be able to make a run at the top couple of guys in the division or towards the belt until the landscape of the division changes.”
Catch It's Time For Sports' full interview with Dan Hooker below:
What is Dan Hooker planning?
As you may have heard, Dan Hooker completed a test weight cut down to featherweight recently and will likely be plying his trade at 145 pounds from now on.
45 look alive. https://t.co/JU0pl0tKkV
It’s a move he believes will get him closer to a UFC title and, potentially, closer to a showdown with teammate and current featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski.
Everyone knows what Dan Hooker is capable of inside the octagon and there’s no way of ignoring his accomplishments. When it comes to returning to featherweight, though, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of challenge he takes on first.