Earlier this year at UFC 257, Dan Hooker (20-10) had a massive opportunity on the sport’s biggest stage. In the co-main event on a card headlined by the rematch between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, Hooker was tasked with welcoming Michael Chandler to the UFC.
Hooker entered the contest as a betting favorite. Entering UFC 257, the only two men to have defeated Hooker at lightweight were Edson Barboza and Dustin Poirier. The fight with Poirier was an absolute war and Hooker won the first two rounds of that fight.
If Hooker was able to get the win over Chandler, it would have put him right in the title conversation. However, UFC 257 ended with the worst case scenario for Dan Hooker. Chandler landed a massive left in the first round and finished The Hangman.
Since then, Hooker has been laying low just getting back into training. Now that it’s been a few months, Hooker is getting that itch to fight. While he hasn’t been offered a fight by the UFC yet, Hooker told Submission Radio that he has an opponent in mind.
Former UFC champ
“When it comes to fights that make sense, I like the RDA fight. Former champ. I respect his skillset and I respect the way he carries himself. I think that’s a fight that makes sense,” Hooker told Submission Radio.
In reality, this is a perfect matchup for the UFC. Rafael Dos Anjos (30-13) made his lightweight return last November. The former UFC lightweight champion returned to the division after spending the last few years at welterweight.
RDA won a decision over Paul Felder (17-6) in his return. Currently, Dos Anjos is ranked seventh and Hooker is ranked eighth in the lightweight division. Given their styles and their spot in the rankings, this would be a fantastic matchup for the UFC.
Another potential matchup would be a rematch with Paul Felder. Hooker and Felder had a war in early 2020 that ended with a split decision win for Hooker. I don’t think any fan would be opposed to the two of them running it back.