"It just has to happen" - Dan Hooker suggests City Kickboxing gym might have to move to the U.S. to avoid New Zealand's lockdown restrictions
Dan Hooker feels his City Kickboxing gym might have to move to the United States in order to avoid last minute visa issues.
No.8 lightweight contender Hooker was only able to reach Las Vegas around 12 hours before the UFC 266 weigh-in on Friday.
Earlier, he didn't get his visa due to New Zealand's COVID-19 lockdown. But somehow it got processed at the last moment.
Ahead of UFC 266 weigh-in, 'The Hangman' claimed he was thinking about moving stateside with his family.
"I've definitely been thinking about making a move stateside myself. But now we've had the discussion as a team. We're kind of planning the logistics of where we're going. Obviously, it's going to be left up to our coaches. But looks like me and the family will be moving stateside with the team. It just has to happen," said Dan Hooker.
UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya and featherweight titleholder Alexander Volkanovski also train at the City Kickboxing gym.
Hooker then recounted how much trouble he went through in getting the visa. He called it one of the worst experiences of his life.
"This last one was just getting a bit crazy. Even the fights before that there was lockdown during fight camp. But this one just took the cake. I signed this fight Sunday. Tuesday, New Zealand went into a lockdown. We were just locked down hard. The embassy was shut. I had so much trouble getting my visa. For the last five weeks, I've been getting chased around by the cops. It's just been a real headache to train. For it to come down, we have to get our visas and be here," he added.
Watch Hooker speak to the media ahead of the UFC 266 weigh-in below:
Hooker's upcoming opponent Nasrat Haqparast also had visa issues after he had to rush back to Germany from the U.S. due to the death of his mother.
Dan Hooker is currently on a two-fight skid
Dan Hooker's last two UFC fights ended in losses, to Dustin Poirier in June 2020 and Michael Chandler in January 2021.
Hence, he is in desperate need of a win to stay within touching distance of the lightweight division's top-five contenders.
#UFC266 official weigh-in results: Dan Hooker (@danthehangman) 155.5 https://t.co/OyZ4DDrTPA
Meanwhile, unranked Nasrat Haqparast is on a two-fight winning streak and is a victory away from emerging as a serious contender in his weight class.
Both Hooker and Haqparast successfully made weight for UFC 266.