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The UFC is returning to Perth, Australia next month and the main card just added a banger in the lightweight division. MMA Junkie reported this morning that verbal agreements are in place for a lightweight matchup between Dan Hooker (23-12) and the fifth ranked lightweight contender Mateusz Gamrot (24-2).
UFC 305 goes down on August 17th. For Gamrot, the matchup is likely not what he wanted in terms of ranking. As mentioned, Gamrot is the fifth ranked contender and while Dan Hooker has the name value, he’s currently ranked 11th in the lightweight division.
Gamrot has won three straight fights following a loss to Beneil Dariush back in 2022. The Polish lightweight was a perfect 18-0 when he made his octagon debut but lost by split decision. Following that loss, he won four straight including a five-round decision over the next title challenger, Arman Tsarukyan.
That win led him to Dariush where he lost by decision. Since then, he has three wins over Jalin Turner, Rafael Fiziev, and Rafael Dos Anjos. Notably the Fiziev fight ended with Fiziev suffering a leg injury in the second round. Nevertheless, a win is a win and Gamrot is currently 7-2 in the UFC.
UFC 305
This is such a massive opportunity for Dan Hooker. Back in 2020, Dan Hooker fought Dustin Poirier in an instant classic main event at The APEX in Las Vegas. Entering that bout, Hooker was 7-1 in his previous eight fights. Through two rounds, Hooker looked sensational and hurt Poirier bad on the feet. However, Poirier came on strong winning the final three rounds to win the decision.
Had Hooker won that fight, he would’ve likely challenged for a UFC title. That said, the loss started a stretch where he went just 1-4 in five fights. One fight came at featherweight when he decided to try and move down but he was stopped in the first round by top featherweight Arnold Allen. The three lightweight losses in that stretch were to Poirier, Michael Chandler, and current champion Islam Makhachev. Nothing to be ashamed of.
However, it put Hooker in a weird spot where he wasn’t sure about his UFC future. After the Allen fight, he decided to move back up to lightweight and has won two straight to earn this fight with Gamrot. It’s been about a year since we saw Hooker when he won an entertaining decision over Jalin Turner. He’s been dealing with arm injuries since, but he’s back to being healthy and he’s ready to fight in his neck of the woods.