Dan Hooker News

Cole Shelton - October 5, 2021

Khabib Nurmagomedov believes the only way Dan Hooker beats Islam Makhachev is by a lucky punch. Makhachev is a pupil of Nurmagomedov and was supposed to fight Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 267 in October. Yet, the Brazilian was forced out of the fight and Hooker took the fight on short notice and for Nurmagomedov, he expects Makhachev to maul Hooker.

Harry Kettle - October 4, 2021

UFC lightweight Dan Hooker has explained why getting a win over Islam Makhachev is the best way to show how he would’ve fared against Khabib Nurmagomedov. Just weeks after beating Nasrat Haqparast to get back in the win column, Dan Hooker is set to take on one of the most intimidating forces in the 155-pound division – Islam Makhachev. He’ll do so at UFC 267 on Fight Island in a move that has received a great deal of praise from mixed martial arts fans all over the world.

Adam D Martin - October 1, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker confirmed that the UFC gave him extra money in order to fight Islam Makhachev at UFC 267. Hooker will step into the Octagon on short notice later this month when he faces off against Makhachev at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi. Hooker just fought last weekend at UFC 266 and he beat Nasrat Haqparast via decision, and he was expected to go home to New Zealand following the fight. But with the opportunity to face a top-five opponent in Makhachev out there, Hooker has made the decision to stay away from home and take the fight. It’s a decision that isn’t an easy one for Hooker, as he now has no idea when he will go back to New Zealand and see his family. But for the extra money that the UFC offered him to take the fight with Makhachev, Hooker believes that it was worth taking the fight.

Adam D Martin - October 1, 2021

Top-ranked UFC lightweight contender Islam Makhachev is heavily favored to defeat divisional rival Dan Hooker at UFC 267 later this month. Makhachev was supposed to fight Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 267, but RDA was forced to pull out of the fight with an injury. In his place steps Hooker, who is fresh off of a decision win over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266 last weekend. With the UFC in a tough situation in regards to finding a suitable opponent to fight Makhachev, Hooker stepped up on short notice. The two lightweights will now meet later this month at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi.

Adam D Martin - September 30, 2021

UFC lightweight Dan Hooker opened up on a potential scrap with Nate Diaz, saying “it’s definitely not a difficult fight for him to get.” Hooker is coming off of a unanimous decision win over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266 this past Saturday night in Las Vegas, a win that snapped a two-fight losing skid for “The Hangman.” Now that Hooker is back in the win column, he knows that he can start calling out higher-ranked fighters and bigger-name fighters, and it doesn’t get much bigger than Diaz. Following his big win over Haqparast last weekend, Hooker said that he’s open to fighting Diaz and that all the Stockton native has to do is simply request the fight.

Harry Kettle - September 27, 2021

UFC lightweight Dan Hooker has explained why he called out Beneil Dariush after his win at UFC 266 on Saturday. Hooker managed to get back on the winning trail last weekend with a nice win over Nasrat Haqparast in Las Vegas. He had to rely on his wrestling to do it but after going through such a gruelling process just to get to fight night, it made sense that “Hangman” wanted to do everything in his power to ensure he walked away with the win.

Adam Martin - September 26, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker dedicated his victory over Narsat Haqparast at UFC 266 to his fallen teammate, Fau Vake. Hooker defeated Haqparast via unanimous decision at UFC 266 in a lightweight battle between two fighters who barely even made it to their fight. For Hooker, he had visa issues he was facing in New Zealand, not to mention the lack of opponents available to him. Then for Haqparast, his mother passed away last week and he almost had visa issues, as well. Thankfully, the fight went on as planned, with Hooker showing off a dominant, complete MMA game for the win. “The Hangman” not only outstruck his opponent Haqparast, but he also out-grappled him as well in what was one of his most complete performances ever.

Chris Taylor - September 25, 2021

A key lightweight bout between Dan Hooker and Nasrat Haqparast took place on the televised prelims of tonight’s UFC 266 event. Hooker (21-10 MMA) was looking to rebound after losing his two most recent Octagon appearances. ‘The Hangman’ had suffered defeats to perennial division contenders Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler in those outings. Prior to those setbacks, Hooker had put together a three-fight win streak, which included a nasty knockout of James Vick.

Cole Shelton - September 24, 2021

Dan Hooker, a captain of City Kickboxing, says the gym will likely move from New Zealand. Due to New Zealand’s strict lockdown rules, the gym was shut down, and Hooker and other fighters couldn’t train. To make matters worse, the country has closed the quarantine booking system, meaning if you leave the country now, it may be a year or before you are allowed to return. With that, Hooker says the team at CKB has discussed moving the gym elsewhere to get away from New Zealand.

Cole Shelton - September 21, 2021

Dan Hooker finally has a fight after months of pleading with the UFC to get him one. Due to how New Zealand is doing their quarantine, Hooker says if he didn’t fight at UFC 266 he likely wouldn’t have been able to fight for another six months to a year. With that, he knew UFC 266 was his last shot to fight this year. So, after months of asking for a fight, he finally got one as he will face Nasrat Haqparast on the prelims of the card which surprised many. Yet, for “The Hangman” he has no problem with it.

Cole Shelton - September 21, 2021

The 51st episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN with Cole Shelton is here ahead of UFC 266. We’re first joined by the eighth-ranked lightweight Dan Hooker (2:01). Next, sixth-ranked heavyweight, Jairzinho Rozenstruik (24:54) joins the show. Fifth-ranked flyweight, Cynthia Calvillo (39:44) then comes on. UFC welterweight, Martin Sano Jr. (54:32) joins the program. Closing out the show is UFC lightweight, Jalin Turner (1:04:31).

Cole Shelton - September 19, 2021

Dan Hooker vs. Nasrat Haqparast is a go for UFC 266. Hooker was campaigning to fight on this card for weeks before and about five weeks out, BJPENN.com reported he would be facing Haqparast. The fight was then confirmed but there have been major hurdles in making it happen due to New Zealand being locked down and Hooker being unable to train.

Christopher Taylor - September 16, 2021

Dan Hooker is in jeopardy of having his UFC 266 fight canceled and has made a desperate plea to US Ambassador Kevin Covert for help. Hooker (20-10 MMA) is scheduled to fight Nasrat Haqparast (13-3 MMA) at UFC 266 in Las Vegas. However, ‘The Hangman’ recently discovered that his travel visa will not be ready until next week, a delay which would result in his upcoming fight being scratched.

Adam D Martin - September 9, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker claims that Tony Ferguson has gone rogue, suggesting that “No one from the UFC can get a hold of him.” Hooker is set to return to the Octagon later this month when he faces off against rising contender Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266. How Hooker landed on Haqparast as his opponent was somewhat surprising, as “The Hangman” was calling out a number of the top-15 lightweights in the promotion before Haqparast was the one who finally got the phone call.

Adam D Martin - August 23, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker explained why he isn’t fighting “dumbass” Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 266 despite rumblings of a fight. Hooker takes on Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266, which is set for September 25 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. While he is a good fighter in his own right, Haqparast is an unranked fighter at 155lbs, while Tsarukyan is at least ranked No. 15. Hooker is ranked No. 8 in the UFC, so it is understandable why he wanted to fight someone who was ranked, but he ended up accepting the fight with Haqparast because he wants to scrap.

Cole Shelton - August 16, 2021

Dan Hooker will be making his return to the Octagon at UFC 266 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Multiple sources have informed BJPENN.com that Hooker will face Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266 on September 25 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Contracts have already been sent out for the fight, the sources said.

Adam D Martin - July 23, 2021

UFC lightweight contender Thiago Moises called out Dan Hooker following his recent submission loss to Islam Makhachev at UFC Vegas 31. Moises, the No. 15 ranked lightweight in the UFC, saw his three-fight win streak snapped when he lost via fourth-round tapout to Makhachev at last weekend’s UFC Vegas 31 card. Of course, there is no shame in losing to Makhachev, the No. 5 ranked lightweight who many believe is a future world champion. Even though Moises didn’t fare well in the fight, he has still developed quite a bit of confidence just by hanging around with a stud like Makhachev for nearly four rounds, and now he’s ready to fight other top-10 opponents.

Harry Kettle - July 20, 2021

UFC lightweight Dan Hooker has laid down a challenge to Islam Makhachev as their social media spat continues. This past Saturday night, Makhachev continued his rise up through the 155-pound ranks with a decisive win over Thiago Moises. He controlled the right all the way through until the fourth round when he was finally able to secure a strong submission victory, vaulting himself closer to a potential title shot in the near future.