One of the best and most exciting lightweights in the UFC is contemplating a switch in divisions. Dan “The Hangman” Hooker (21-11) is currently considering and leaning towards moving back to the featherweight division.
When Hooker made his debut with the promotion, he debuted at featherweight. However, after not having much success, Hooker decided to move up to the lightweight division. The move was an instant success.
After the move, Hooker strung together a winning streak before losing to Edson Barboza. After the Barboza lost, Hooker went on another winning streak that led him to a fight with Dustin Poirier.
This fight was being looked at as a title eliminator. Hooker looked great early and looked like he was going to get a UFC title shot. However, Poirier rallied and won three straight rounds to take the decision.
Back in January, Hooker took on Michael Chandler in Chandler’s UFC debut. Hooker was knocked out in the first round. He bounced back with a win over Nasrat Haqparast but was recently stopped by Islam Makhachev.
UFC Featherweight Return
After this loss, Hooker started thinking about his future. He posted a video on Twitter of him making the featherweight limit of 146 pounds. He then told Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour that he was strongly considering returning to featherweight.
Hooker’s recent 1-3 stretch has made him reconsider where he should be in the UFC. Hooker fought the best of his career at lightweight, however, maybe the second time at 145 will be better for him.
He already has an opponent in mind that fans would be all for. Hooker told Helwani that he would love to fight ‘The Korean Zombie’ Chan Sung Jung (17-6). Jung is coming off of a big win over Dan Ige back in June.
I think fans would be lining up to see a fight with Hooker and The Zombie. Both men are cut from a similar cloth and the fight would be incredibly exciting as well as technical.
At this point, the writing is on the wall for Hooker’s return to the featherweight division. Just a matter of when and who will be the opponent.