Dan Hooker will be back in action this weekend at UFC 266 against Nasrat Haqparast. Hooker has come up short in his last two fights, but he has also previously recorded some devastating stoppages. That includes the brutal finish of current welterweight contender Gilbert Burns.
Dan Hooker’s fight with Burns took place at UFC 226 when Burns was still competing at lightweight. The two men competed against each other in what was only the second bout of the night.
However, it acted as the perfect precursor to what was an explosive night of fights. Hooker did not allow Burns out of the first round. He knocked the Brazilian out with a heavy left hook.
Watch the brutal knockout below:
It was Hooker’s fourth consecutive stoppage. The New Zealander previously finished Jim Miller, Marc Diakeise and Ross Pearson.
His victory over ‘Durinho’ truly marked him as a fighter to watch in the lightweight division. It was enough to warrant the UFC placing him against a top-10-ranked Edson Barboza soon after.
The career of Dan Hooker
Following the win against Gilbert Burns, Dan Hooker came up short against Barboza. However, from that point onwards, the New Zealand native would only fight top-tier opposition.
He quickly got back into the win column by knocking out James Vick in yet another first-round stoppage. He then fought both Al Iaquinta and Paul Felder to close decisions, which he edged both times. The fight with Felder was especially impressive, with both men putting in incredible displays that night. It was also Hooker’s first ever main event.
Dan Hooker’s win over Paul Felder saw him matched up with Dustin Poirier next. Poirier is considered by many to be the top lightweight in the world. Whilst Hooker ultimately came up short, he made ‘The Diamond’ work for it every step of the way.
However, Hooker did not give such a good account of himself in his next fight. At UFC 257, Michael Chandler was able to knock him out inside the opening frame.
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Dan Hooker will now look to re-establish himself in the UFC lightweight division. He’ll face Nasrat Haqparast this weekend at UFC 266.
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