Strength of schedule has never been in question for Dan Hooker, who has grown accustomed to having the deck stacked against him in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
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As Hooker makes final preparations for his looming showdown with Gamrot, a look at five of the many moments that have come to define him:
1. High Note
Hooker knocked out former Shooto and Sengoku titleholder Hatsu Hioki with a head kick and follow-up punches in the second round of their featured UFC Fight Night 65 featherweight prelim on May 10, 2015 at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre in Adelaide, Australia. The curtain fell 4:13 into Round 2. Hioki buckled the Kiwi with a right hand in the first round, executed a takedown and climbed to full mount. Hooker responded by springing a reversal off the cage, letting the Japanese veteran know he had no plans to go quietly. Hioki struck for another takedown inside the first minute of Round 2 and again failed to corral the underdog on the canvas. After the two featherweights returned to their feet, Hooker blasted Hioki with a left high kick and then connected on a pair of right hands that left him face down and unconscious on the mat.
2. Body Snatcher
Former Ring of Combat champion Edson Barboza put away Hooker with a left hook to the body in the third round of their UFC on Fox 31 lightweight co-main event on Dec. 15, 2018 at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. The end came 2:19 into Round 3. Barboza was in prime form. Operating in the shadows of the Al Iaquinta-Kevin Lee headliner, the American Top Team-trained Brazilian destroyed the inside of Hooker’s lead leg with his patented Louisville Slugger kicks before targeting the head and body with his fists and shins. Barboza was sadistic in his approach, answering the City Kickboxing star with increasing violence at every turn. He doubled over Hooker with multiple spinning back kicks below the navel in the third round, reset and then sealed the Kiwi’s fate with a wicked left hook to the liver.
3. Hook, Line and Sinker
Hooker cut down “The Ultimate Fighter 15” semifinalist James Vick with punches in the first round of their UFC on ESPN 4 lightweight showcase on July 20, 2019 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. Vick succumbed to blows 2:33 into Round 1. The two men traded punches and leg kicks while circling one another, Vick snapping back the Kiwi’s head at one point with a stiff right hand. Hooker was undeterred, moved forward and delivered a devastating left hook that dropped the Lloyd Irvin disciple to a seated position. Vick was in no position to defend himself from the three standing-to-ground punches that followed before referee Kerry Hatley could arrive on the scene. It was the 12th first-round finish of Hooker’s career.
4. On the Straight and Narrow
A resurgent Hooker continued his pre-pandemic ascent through the lightweight division when he eked out a contentious split decision over Paul Felder in the five-round UFC Fight Night 168 headliner on Feb. 23, 2020 at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. All three judges struck 48-47 scorecards: Howard Hughes and David Lethaby for Hooker, Barry Foley for Felder. Hooker stayed at range and built an early lead with a series of kicks to the lower leg, a penetrating jab and stellar lateral movement. Despite sustaining significant damage to his right eye, Felder was merciless with his pressure and methodically chipped away at his counterpart’s defenses. He did his best work in Round 4, where he upped the aggression, staggered Hooker with a straight right and fired away with inside leg kicks and jabs. Felder wobbled “The Hangman” again in the fifth round but surrendered a takedown in the final minute—a development that perhaps sealed the victory for Hooker.
5. No Chance
Burgeoning American Kickboxing Academy star Islam Makhachev disposed of Hooker with a kimura in the first round of their brief but revealing UFC 262 lightweight feature on Oct. 30, 2021 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. A short-notice replacement for Rafael dos Anjos, Hooker conceded defeat 2:25 into Round 1 and submitted for the first time in nearly a decade. The outcome was in doubt for less than a minute. Makhachev landed a quick takedown, progressed to half guard and framed the kimura from side control. Hooker was beyond help, as the Russian sambo practitioner continued to crank on his isolated arm until he had no choice but to raise the white flag.