Dan Hooker makes featherweight in test cut to signal move down: ’45 look alive’

Dan Hooker will be returning to featherweight.

Hooker, who entered the UFC as a featherweight, has been competing as lightweight and has been a perennial contender. Yet, after a 1-3 skid, he recently revealed he would be working with the PI to possibly get back to down to 145lbs.

“Doing a little something something at the moment,” Hooker said on his Pub Talk show with TheMacLife on Thursday. “Gotta make your next move your best move. Let’s just say I’m working with the UFC and a fight dietician very closely and I’m doing a little test run and we’ll see. I’ll be able to answer every question on next week’s show.”

Now, Hooker to social media on Monday to confirm he made featherweight which likely confirms he will be dropping down in weight.

45 look alive. pic.twitter.com/JU0pl0tKkV

— Dan Hangman Hooker (@danthehangman) November 23, 2021

“45 look alive,” Hooker wrote with him stepping on the scale at 146lbs.

If Hooker does indeed move down to featherweight, he will likely get a top-10 opponent right away. He would be a big name going to the division and would add excitement to the already loaded division. However, it should be noted his teammate and friend is Alexander Volkanovski who is the current featherweight champ, so whether or not they would fight one another is uncertain.

Dan Hooker (21-11) is coming off a first-round submission loss to Islam Makhachev back at UFC 267. He took the fight on short notice after defeating Nasrat Haqparast by decision at UFC 266. Before getting back into the win column, he suffered a KO loss to Michael Chandler and a grueling five-round decision loss to Dustin Poirier. He’s currently ranked eighth at lightweight and holds notable wins over Paul Felder, Gilbert Burns, Al Iaquinta, and James Vick. He went 3-3 at featherweight in the UFC with wins over Ian Entwistle, Hatsu Hioki, and Mark Eddiva while his losses came to Yair Rodriguez, Jason Knight, and Maximo Blanco.

Who would you like to see Dan Hooker fight in his return to featherweight?