Dan Hooker appears all set to make a return to the UFC featherweight division after making a test cut down to 146. The New Zealander previously competed in the weight class at the start of his UFC tenure.
Dan Hooker has never shown an interest in going back to the weight class and he has said countless times he was done with the UFC featherweight division. After a mixed 2021, he looks keen to return.
The New Zealand international recently went on The MMA Hour and explain his reason for the test cut. The UFC lightweight knew he could make the weight, it was about convincing everyone else.
“I made the weight,” UFC contender Hooker said. “That wasn’t for me, I know I can make the weight. That’s to try to convince a few people that need convincing. Obviously, my coaches were not that keen on me going back to ‘45, but that’s me stepping on the scale and making it look pretty easy, if I’m being honest.
“From when I was there in the past and to where I am now, just obviously the science and the people that are a part of the UFC, like Charles [Stull] ‘The Angry Dietician,’ the fight dietician that I work very closely with, and Clint [Wattenberg] and the people at the PI have all been — it’s been smooth sailing. That took me all of two weeks to get down and cut to that weight, so if I can do it in two weeks on holiday, you give me a fight, that’s a whole different story.”
There are many fun fights in the UFC featherweight division for Dan Hooker. When asked who he wanted, he picked a fun veteran that puts on exciting fights.
“Head and shoulders, the No. 1 guy that I would love to get in there with would be ‘The Korean Zombie,’” Hooker said. “I would love throw down with ‘The Zombie.’
“So I don’t know what the people were saying, that’s why I just put it out there, stepped on the scale, made the weight, and I feel like you just let the people decide. Whoever the people want to see me in there against will kind of convince the UFC. What everyone wants, everyone can get, but for me it would be head and shoulders ‘The Korean Zombie.’”
The Korean Zombie is a former UFC title challenger and has been a tough test for anyone at featherweight. A fight with Dan Hooker may not make sense but it certainly would be fun.
