There are looming questions surrounding Dan Hookers‘ place in the UFC’s lightweight division. He doesn’t shy away from them.
Having won just one of his prior five bouts, with an unsuccessful foray down a weight division thrown in the mix, ‘The Hangman’ is keenly aware of what his upcoming fight with the currently unranked Claudio Puelles represents for his fighting career. It’s a crossroads.
The timeless tale of all combat sports – a young up-and-comer, hungry to make a name for themselves, taking on the experienced veteran, forced to prove he’s still worthy of the number adorning his name.
But for the 32-year-old Kiwi, it’s something more, too. A win for Hooker at UFC 281 represents the foundation upon which his next run to the top will be built. It’s a chance for him to dig his heels into the ground and demonstrate to fans and critics alike that he’s not done with the division’s elite. Not yet.
“I understand the questions that get asked,” Hooker leveled with co-host John Hyon Ko on The AllStar’s MMA Live UFC 279 post-show. “And the question that he gets asked is ‘does he still belong in that top echelon, in that top 15? Does he still belong in those rankings?”
“So I’m happy to go outside of the rankings and answer that question, you know what I mean?”
“You have to prove yourself when people start asking questions. It is what it is. You have to prove yourself. I’m fully aware of that and I’m very happy to oblige.
Dan Hooker via The AllStar’s MMA Live
While he indicated that he was impressed with what he’d witnessed from Puelles, Hooker doubts there will be any questions regarding his place in the division remaining following their November 12th clash. He wants to prove that there are levels to this sport.
“If they think that this kid is on my level, I’m happy to oblige and I’m kinda happy to show everyone that he’s not. I know where I stand in the division and how I stack up against the top echelon.”
“[He’s a] tough, hungry kid, on a good streak,” Hooker admitted. “But I’m one of the best in the world.”
Despite his confidence ahead of their meeting at Madison Square Garden, the pairing with Puelles, who Hooker has given the moniker ‘The Kneebar Kid’ due to the amount of those submissions appearing on his record, does motivate him.
Clay Guida was a name that was thrown around before Hooker had a fight booked, and while that fight didn’t eventuate, Puelles had submitted Guida in the past. An enticing draw for the New Zealand native.
“This is the guy that beat [Guida]. So I’m excited. I’m excited for this.”
And what better time and location to reaffirm his position in the rankings than a card littered with the names of some of his closest friends and teammates, which helps build momentum – a key factor, Hooker says, in one’s success rate in the sport.
“A huge aspect of our sport is momentum. So going over there with four guys from my team, and the Hickman brothers potentially coming over with the fighters representing Bangtao [Muay Thai & MMA] and having a lot of close-knit people at the event and surrounding us leading in generates a lot of momentum. And momentum right now is something that I need to get back on track. I feel like Claudio is a good opponent, answers a lot of questions, and builds momentum for me to move back into fighting guys that are ranked, fighting guys in the top ten, fighting guys in the top five. It all starts with momentum – and that’s just the stage that I’m at right now generating momentum. I feel like this is the perfect opponent and the perfect environment to start generating momentum.”
