With Dan Hooker answering the call for UFC 267, he’s not sure when he’ll get to fly home to New Zealand.
Hooker’s decision to replace Rafael dos Anjos against Islam Makhachev (20-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) Oct. 30 in Abu Dhabi came in the spur of the moment, but “The Hangman” admits he hasn’t really thought past the fight.
“I knew that RDA had pulled out after my fight, and I could feel there was no one else,” Hooker told The Mac Life. “Tony Ferguson is being Tony Ferguson, Beneil (Dariush) is signed to Ali (Abdelaziz), as well – I didn’t think he would take the fight, either. So I knew I was the only real option. They called me up, and I’m a happy man. I’ll see you in Abu Dhabi.”
Having just defeated Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266 less than a week ago, Hooker (21-10 MMA, 11-6 UFC) was booked to fly back to New Zealand after barely making it to Las Vegas on time for the fight due to numerous travel hurdles. But now that he’s accepted to make a one-month turnaround, he has no idea when he’ll be able to obtain a voucher to get a quarantine spot at home.
“Now it’s indefinite,” Hooker said. “It’s not like stupid money (the UFC is paying him). It’s money to justify what they’re asking me to do. They’re asking me to pretty much leave my country and so with that, I need enough to set up a life here for however long, because there are Kiwis that have been stuck in New Zealand for a couple of years now. So it’s all well and good being like, ‘Yeah, I’ll take the risk,’ but not being able to go home for a couple of years, that’s daunting to a lot of people.”
Hooker will step in to face one of the least sought-out fighters on the roster, which makes his willingness to compete that much more impressive. But despite Makhachev’s dominance over the lightweight division, Hooker is not intimidated.
“He’s got a bit of the Khabib mystique, it’s rubbed off on him,” Hooker said. “His last few performances have been like fairly dominant. I’ve trained with Drew, and the way he fought Drew was pretty decisive. Even his last fight, he came out there, and it was a pretty dominant fight. There’s definite skill there, but I would love to be the first one to get out there and just make him look human, because I know we all are.”
He continued, “I’ve been in the gym with these guys. They all bleed, they all get tired, they all get injured, they all get hurt, and I know I can put anyone’s light’s out. So to everyone else, he’s kind of a mysterious character that’s got a lot of mystique and invincibility. To me, he’s just another body.”
