Watch: Dan Hooker cheers for himself at the UFC 281 weigh-ins
Dan Hooker jestingly cheered for himself at the official weigh-ins ahead of his upcoming fight at UFC 281. Hooker is set to return to the UFC lightweight division as he faces Claudio Puelles in a three-round bout. The Hooker-Puelles matchup will serve as the opening fight of the UFC 281 event's main card.
It's been touted as one of the most intriguing clashes at UFC 281. The fight will witness the 32-year-old Hooker try to return to his winning ways by defeating the 26-year-old Peruvian lightweight prospect Puelles, who's on a five-fight win streak.
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Moreover, UFC 281 will transpire at the iconic Madison Square Garden (MSG) in New York City on Saturday, November 12. Needless to say, Dan Hooker finds himself in a marquee position as he's scheduled to compete in the first fight of the UFC 281 main card.
'The Hangman' successfully weighed in at 155.8 pounds, 0.2 pounds under the 156-pound limit for non-title lightweight bouts. While Hooker was cheered on by members of the audience during his weigh-in, he later cheered for himself. Before hilariously patting himself on the back, the New Zealand native stated:
"Go on, Dan!"
Watch Hooker's weigh-in at 0:15 in the video below:
Dan Hooker labels weight-cutting as "the dumbest part of the sport"
Dan Hooker has competed in both the featherweight and lightweight divisions over the course of his MMA career. Hooker is currently on a two-fight losing streak. His most recent fight was a vicious first-round TKO defeat against Arnold Allen in March of this year.
The Allen matchup marked Hooker's return to the featherweight division after having fought at lightweight for several years. Many believe that Hooker's grueling weight cut might've adversely affected his performance in his return to featherweight.
On that note, Dan Hooker has consistently maintained that the weight-cutting practice in MMA hurts a fighter's health and performance. In a recent appearance on the Between Two Beers podcast, Hooker credited the UFC for helping its fighters with their weight cuts.
The New Zealand native acknowledged that the UFC provides them with access to top-tier nutritionists who help them cut weight without compromising on nutrition. Nevertheless, Dan Hooker emphasized that he disapproves of the weight-cutting tradition in the sport of MMA. 'The Hangman' explained:
"They [UFC] provide all your meals for fight week and stuff like that, it's like an incredible service. But it's like the dumbest part of the sport, like it's so stupid. But, what do you do? Just be like, 'I'm not gonna cut weight,' and then you just fight someone bigger than you, then you lose. It's such a significant advantage."
Watch Hooker discuss the topic at 1:23:50 in the video below: