Dan Hooker questions the chin of Dustin Poirier: “I don’t think Poirier has the chin Paul Felder does”

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker has questioned whether or not Dustin Poirier’s chin is as strong as Paul Felder’s ahead of their showdown next weekend.

In a bout that has been a long time coming, Hooker and Poirier will square off in the main event of UFC on ESPN 12 at the UFC APEX. While “The Diamond” is attempting to bounce back after failing to win the UFC Lightweight Championship against Khabib Nurmagomedov last year, Hooker will be aiming to extend his current three-fight win streak.

During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Hooker cast doubt over whether or not Poirier would be able to take the same sort of shots that his last opponent Paul Felder was able to sustain.

“That’s the thing — he’s definitely going to have to adjust his game a little bit,” Hooker said about Poirier. “I feel like pressuring me, taking a shot, giving it, taking a shot, giving a shot is just not the way to best approach it. I don’t feel like Dustin can take a shot as well as Paul Felder can. From watching the tape of both of those fighters, I don’t think Poirier has the chin Felder does.

“I feel I can put Dustin away. If I keep touching him, there’s no way that Dustin’s going to be able to eat those shots and be able to recover from the damage I’m generally able to inflict on opponents.”

Quotes courtesy of MMA Fighting

While Hooker has been honest in saying that he understands losing to Poirier is a very realistic possibility, he appears to be heading into this fight with more confidence than he’s ever had before. Whether or not that’ll end up being a detriment to his chances remains to be seen.

There’s an argument to be made that the lightweight division is as stacked as it has ever been, which is saying something, given the volume of talent that has come through the UFC in that weight class over the years.

However, while it may be tough to get to the top, the ones that do have quite clearly earned their place there – and that’s definitely true when it comes to both Poirier and Hooker.

The winner of this fight will probably be just one more win away from a title shot, and while it’s always possible that the fight will go all five rounds, don’t be surprised if we see a finish.