Watch: When Dan Hooker fought a 282lbs opponent under PRIDE rules
In his last UFC appearance, Dan Hooker jumped into a short-notice bout against rising star Islam Makhachev at lightweight. However, there was a time when Hooker had stepped in on three days' notice to take on a heavyweight who outweighed him by nearly 100 pounds.
During his time as an amateur fighter, Hooker fought Mark Creedy under Pride rules in 2011, a ruleset that allows for soccer kicks and knees to grounded opponents. 'The Hangman' defeated Creedy via second round TKO, despite taking the fight on short notice and weighing approximately 92 pounds lighter than his heavyweight opponent.
Watch Dan Hooker vs. Mark Creedy below:
Dan Hooker also told the story around his fight with Mark Creedy on UFC.com. Here's what Hooker said:
“A heavyweight from my gym was fighting in the main event against that guy on the weekend, but he actually broke his hand at the last minute, three days out from the fight. My coach came storming in and he was upset, he lost his main event, and I said, ‘Look, how much does the guy weigh? He can’t be that big.’ '120-130 kilos,' came the response."
The weight differential, however, didn't deter Hooker from taking the fight:
“I’ll take the fight,” said Hooker.
Dan Hooker is a rare breed in MMA. The New Zealander has shared the octagon with some of the toughest fighters in the UFC across two different weight classes.
'The Hangman' made his promotional debut back in 2014 as a featherweight and went 3-3 before moving up to lightweight in 2017.
He initially had success at lightweight, even breaking into the top 5 of the division. However, he has struggled as of late, going 1-3 in his last four UFC outings.
Dan Hooker and Jon Jones trade barbs on Twitter
Dan Hooker is the latest UFC fighter to become embroiled in a Twitter feud with Jon Jones. 'The Hangman' took aim at 'Bones' for his jabs at Chael Sonnen over Sonnen's recent run-in with the law. Jones lashed out at Hooker three days after the New Zealander first commented on the situation. The two fighters have been involved in a Twitter back-and-forth ever since.
Check out their latest exchanges on the social media platform below:
Imagine beating up 5 people and not one of them is your wife. (JJones RN 🤯) twitter.com/middleeasy/sta…
@danthehangman, every opportunity you’ve had to make a name for yourself and be closer to your boy Izzy, you dropped the ball. You can’t achieve greatness, so you hop online and attack someone who has. Sounds about right
@JonnyBones I was triggered by your disingenuous attempt to bring attention to Chael’s situation. He was arrested for defending his wife, you were arrested for assaulting yours. 🍎 & 🍊