ABU DHABI – Dan Hooker is looking forward to sharing the dais with his fellow lightweight contenders at the UFC 257 press conference, but hopes he doesn’t get embarrassed in the process.
Ahead of Saturday’s pay-per-view event, Hooker (20-9 MMA, 10-5 UFC) is set to participate in a pre-fight press conference on Thursday with his co-main event opponent Michael Chandler (21-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC), as well as headliners Dustin Poirier (26-6 MMA, 18-5 UFC) and Conor McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC).
Press conferences involving McGregor tend to be highly eventful, and history has shown that no one is safe from the verbal onslaught of the brash Irishman. Hooker said he’s looking forward to seeing what unfolds.
“To be honest, I’m a fan of the sport – it’ll be pretty surreal to be sitting up with those guys at such a huge press conference like that,” Hooker told MMA Junkie on Sunday. “I don’t put too much thought into it. I’m not a guy who goes away and practices my lines in the mirror or anything like that. I’m going to take it as it comes. Ninety-nine percent of the focus will be on Conor and what he’s going to do and what he’s going to say.”
Hooker is never shy to involve himself in some banter and, even though he’s not McGregor’s opponent at UFC 257, he knows he must be ready for anything from “The Notorious.”
“You’ve got to be on your toes,” Hooker said. “You don’t want to get ‘Who the (expletive) is that guy’d?’ or something like that. He could chuck you in the can in one line.”
Although Hooker will find himself on the same stage as Poirier and McGregor, his focus is naturally on the fight at hand. He said he looks forward to seeing what three-time Bellator champ Chandler is all about when they share the octagon, and thinks it’s a fight that will reveal a lot about himself and his opponent.
“It’s going to be pretty obvious because the game is pretty obvious,” Hooker said. “He needs to put me on my back, he needs to back me up and get on the inside. If he can’t do that and he can’t do that early on, he’s going to start getting in trouble. I think by the end of the first round it’s going o be pretty clear how this fight is going to play out.”
UFC 257 takes place on Saturday, Jan. 23 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island. The main card airs on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
