Tonight, UFC veteran Dan Hooker will make the walk to the cage for the 37th time in his mixed martial arts career. He will do so as a notable underdog against Arman Tsarukyan in a lightweight matchup that could well determine who will be the next man to challenge for Ilia Topuria’s world title.
Dan Hooker has made a career out of proving people wrong and at the age of 35 he already has a lot of miles under his belt. There have been several moments in recent years where people felt like he had reached the end of what he was capable of in the cage, with notable examples of his defeats against Dustin Poirier, Arnold Allen, and even down to Edson Barboza.
But despite all the noise, Dan Hooker has been able to do something that many fighters simply cannot: remain themselves. He didn’t get caught up in the conversation, he didn’t get distracted and simply focused on what he had control over. Dan himself will admit his shortcomings, and his Kiwi sense of humor is one of the reasons why fans love him so much.
He just loves to go out there and fight, and can anyone really criticize Dan Hooker for that approach? Sure, he could have been more defensive at times, but where will that take him? In his last two trips against Jalin Turner and Mateusz Gamrot, he threw away the rule book and opted to just go in and let loose. The result? He’s now on a three-fight win streak, and he may be just one shocking win away from a shot at the championship.
Dan Hooker is the man
No one knows what will happen if he enters with Arman Tsarukyan, but many people think Hooker will lose. The best part is that he doesn’t care. He wants to go in and punch this guy in the face, especially because he want to Unpleasant. He could leave the sport tomorrow and probably be done for life, but he’s really doing it for the love of the game.
Respect.
#Dan #Hooker #kind