Dan Hooker – one of a kind

Tonight, UFC veteran Dan Hooker will make the walk to the cage for the 37th time in his mixed martial arts career. He will be doing so as a notable underdog against Arman Tsarukyan in a lightweight clash that could well determine the next man to compete for Ilia Topuria’s world title.

Dan Hooker has made a career out of proving people wrong and at the age of 35, he has a lot of miles on the clock. There have been various points in the last few years when people felt like he was reaching the end of what he was capable of in the cage, with notable examples being his defeats to Dustin Poirier, Arnold Allen and even as far back as Edson Barboza.

Yet through all of the noise, Dan Hooker has been able to do something that a lot of fighters simply cannot – stay himself. He didn’t get caught up in the talk, he didn’t get distracted, and he simply focused on what he could control. Dan himself will admit his own shortcomings, and his Kiwi sense of humor is one of the reasons why fans love him so much.

He just loves to go out there and fight, and can anyone really criticize Dan Hooker for that approach? Sure, he could’ve been more defensive at times, but where is that going to get him? In his last two outings against Jalin Turner and Mateusz Gamrot, he threw out the rule book and opted to just go in there and let loose. The result? He is now riding a three-fight win streak, and he may be just one more shock win away from a championship opportunity.

Dan Hooker is the man

Nobody knows what’s going to happen when he gets in there with Arman Tsarukyan, but a lot of people think Hooker is going to lose. The best part is that he couldn’t care less. He wants to go in there and punch this man in the face, mainly because he wants to. He could walk away from the sport tomorrow and probably be set for life, but he really is in this for the love of the game.

Respect.