New Zealand’s Dan Hooker is excited and ready to step back into the Octagon at UFC 290, as he prepares to face a fighter without the need for any trash talk or bad blood.
Hooker will take on Jalin Turner in a battle between the 11th and 10th-ranked UFC lightweights in a main card clash at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 8. The Kiwi crowd-pleaser said he’s been impressed with what he’s seen from Turner so far in his career, and even went as far as to suggest that the American’s record should show one more win that it currently does.
“All the hype around him is very legitimate, right? It’s very deserving,” he told Submission Radio.
“I think he’s one of the toughest guys in the division. Especially the style that he kind of brings.
“I feel like he was very impressive in the fight against Gamrot. I thought that he won that fight.”
The respect for Turner’s skills goes both ways. The American has also shown his respect for Hooker and his team at City Kickboxing. It’s a contrast from many fights we see on pay-per-view main cards, where heated rivalries and trash talk can come to the fore in the lead-up to fights.
“I feel like, especially in this fight, there’s a lot of mutual respect,” said Hooker.
“There’s genuinely no animosity. He’s said a lot of kind things about City Kickboxing and that he doesn’t want to fight us, he actually wants to train with us! So there’s a lot of mutual respect there.
“I’m sure that once we touch gloves and get to it, that’ll all change fairly quickly, but it’s all cool. With this fight, there’s no need to build any sort of animosity. I think the fans in general are just interested in how we match up stylistically. We’re both long, tall fighters. Who can do it better? This fight kind of sells itself.”
The bout is slated to take place as the second main card matchup of the night. The card placement shows the level of importance the bout has in the lightweight division, but it left Hooker slightly surprised, nonetheless.
“It was pretty crazy. I was not even expecting to get on the main card of this one,” he admitted.
“There’s Robbie Lawler’s retirement fight! That should be co-main event, if you ask me! I’m a massive Robbie Lawler fan, so maybe I’m a bit blinded to it. So to be on the main card over a fighter like that is mind-blowing.”
The matchup is an important one for both men, with a big bout likely to follow for whoever gets the win on July 8. For Hooker, it’s the chance to propel himself back into the shake-up at the sharp end of the division.
Explaining what a victory over Turner would mean for him, Hooker said, “Definitely back in the mix. That’s a top 10 win. That’s why it’s such a great opportunity.
“I said it after the last fight – I’ll fight anyone the fans want me to fight. If they want to find me someone unranked again, top 15, top 10, I couldn’t care less.
“To get a fighter in the top 10, everyone knows if you get a top 10 win, you get a top five (fight) in your next fight. That’s just the way it goes, nothing but big things. Top five? Main event? It’s go time!”
Moving back into the upper echelon of the 155-pound division would likely set up Hooker for a return matchup against any one of a host of contenders he’s faced before in his career.
“It’s rematch time! It’s rematch time!” he grinned.
“I feel like even this fight will answer some questions … it answers a lot of the questions. People will be like, oh, he is not s**t. Like, ‘Oh! Whoa! He was just not training for those fights!’
“It’s a good position to be in, when you’re out there proving people wrong and you got a bit of a chip on your shoulder. That’s always where I kind of do my best work and kind of shine.”
Hooker also had some thoughts on the bout that will follow his appearance at UFC 290, as South African middleweight contender takes on former UFC champion, Australia’s Robert Whittaker in a potential title eliminator at 185 pounds.
Despite the stakes involved, Hooker suggested Du Plessis has made a misstep by agreeing to face “The Reaper.”
“I don’t think Dricus had to beat Rob. You know what I mean?” he offered.
“Dricus probably could have got the title shot next off of not fighting anyone, because who’s the next logical next step?
“I’m not saying he’s got no chance of beating Rob. I’m just saying it’s the toughest fight in the division, and he didn’t need to take that risk.
“He didn’t need to roll those dice. I feel like he could’ve beat Sean Strickland and he would’ve got a title shot off of beating Sean Strickland.
“If I had to fight Sean Strickland or Rob Whittaker, I will fight Sean Strickland. Like, it’s a better stylistic match-up for him. And it’s a much more winnable fight. So I just feel like he played that a little wrong.”