Dan Hooker is a man with options. The Kiwi lightweight contender blasted his way into the division’s top five with his hard-earned victory over Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305 last weekend, and now finds himself in a position where a number of big fights could be available to him.
Chatting to Submission Radio, Hooker went through a number of possible permutations as he discussed a BMF title fight with Max Holloway, potential title eliminators with Arman Tsarukyan and Charles Oliveira, and a megabucks money fight with Conor McGregor.
Dan Hooker on… Max Holloway
“From what I’ve seen, Max is pretty hell bent on getting his world title back. But the BMF is something that the fans love, and they’ve always liked throwing my name in the hat for it.
“We’ll have to see how it all plays out. But it’s like, well, Ilia, you know, knock wood. But like, if Ilia breaks his leg tomorrow, well then that fight becomes a real possibility. You know what I mean?
“But it’s the same… Arman breaks his leg tomorrow. Then who’s going to fight Islam for the world title? So it’s like, I just know, whatever happens next, I need to get in the gym and get my ass ready for it.”
Dan Hooker on… Arman Tsarukyan
“He’s talked a bunch of s**t in the past. I just think he’s a weiner. But like, besides that, I feel like he is the toughest. He’s like the toughest next fight to get a title shot – he’s like a Gamrot. He’s another guy that people think that I just can’t beat. You know what I mean?
“So if I had to pick the any road to the title, I’d pick the hardest way possible. You know? If you were to get a title shot of like Gaethje or Oliveira or whatever, like, people would just say, ‘Oh, well, you know, he only had one win.’ Yeah, I just like doing things the hard way, mate.”
Dan Hooker on… Charles Oliveira
“That’s just a firefight, you know what I mean? I can see why people want to see it.
“I struggle to see that fight getting out of a round. And I can see why people get so excited for that fight. Like, yeah, no bulls**t, no build up. The boys are just going to get in there and get in a bit of a firefight, I think.”
Dan Hooker on… Conor McGregor fighting him
“I feel like it’s a smart option, you know what I mean? You’re going to fight a guy in the top five, on a on a three fight win streak? Or are you going to fight a guy who’s not in the top five and coming off a loss?
“I just feel like, because I’ve been staying active and I’ve been fighting the best guys in the world. It just is what it is. He has more to gain from fighting me than he does from Chandler.
“My next my next fight is going to be a title eliminator. That’s what my next fight is going to be. So if he wants, if he genuinely wants to get back in the mix and genuinely wants to earn his way back to a world title, it makes a lot of sense.”
