A win over Mateusz Gamrot on Sunday will mean that the biggest names in the UFC lightweight division will need to go through Dan Hooker according to Dan himself.
“A lot of the big names in the division are coming off losses, right? Like, it’s not a straightforward situation,” Hooker told Submission Radio ahead of the fight
“Oliveira, Chandler, Gaethje, Poirier. Like, the biggest names in our division are all coming off losses. So, to then come in with a three-fight win streak, top five, like, now these other guys that I’ve been calling out for the longest periods of time are going to have to start calling [me out], because I’ve got something they want, which is a win streak.”
Charles Oliveira is coming off a split points decision loss to Arman Tsarukyan while Dustin Poirier lost to the current champion Islam Makhachev most recently. Justin Gaethje will be looking to bounce back after being knocked out by Max Holloway in April.
Michael Chandler has so far, preferred to wait on Conor McGregor’s return to the cage
“And for them to sit and think that they’re going to get a title opportunity off a loss is just, they can’t… they can’t do that. I think that’s a bit of smoke and mirrors from old Chandler. Like, you’re not getting a title shot after getting stopped by Poirier,” Hooker added in his interview.
Hooker comes into the contest on the back of two wins and is ranked the number 11 contender in the UFC’s lightweight division. His opponent, Mateusz Gamrot comes in at the number five spot and Hooker will be looking to remind everyone that he can hang with the top in the division.
“This is the most common style of fighter in which I’ve faced, and I feel like it’s like one of the better-suited fights for me,” Hooker said
“There’s like a notion that I can’t grapple, but it’s like, for what? It’s like, because I got off the couch and got beaten by Islam Makhachev? It’s like, well, that’s not like the worst contradictory evidence in the world when you say it out loud, you know what I mean?”
“So, it’s like, yeah, it’s just a good opportunity for this fight just to remind everyone. It’s just a reminder.”
