Dan Hooker did not take kindly to Justin Gaethje’s prediction for next week’s UFC on ESPN 12 main event with Dustin Poirier.
After Hooker (20-8 MMA, 10-4 UFC) expressed his intent to knock out Poirier (25-6 MMA, 17-5 UFC) in the June 27 lightweight headliner during a recent interview with MMA Fighting, interim champion Gaethje (22-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) weighed in with a blunt prediction of how he expects the bout to unfold (via Twitter):
This dude is getting merked.
It didn’t take long for Gaethje’s comment to reach Hooker’s phone, and “The Hangman” had a snappy reply to Gaethje, whom he’s called out several times in the past and is still keen to fight (via Twitter):
Put your money where your mouth is, when I KO Poirier we fight in August for your plastic title! 😂
The “plastic title” Hooker speaks of is, of course, the interim belt Gaethje has in his possession after beating Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 in May. It’s a ticket to a much bigger fight than Hooker, though – a title unification with Khabib Nurmagomedov, which is expected to take place in September.
If Hooker is able to get past Poirier, however, he will certainly be among the top contenders at 155 pounds.
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