"A banana-peel fight” - Dan Hooker downplays Justin Gaethje’s UFC 300 KO loss to Max Holloway

Dan Hooker and Justin Gaethje are scheduled for a five-round co-main event slot at UFC 313 on March 8. 'The Hangman' has regained his form after suffering a tough run of fights between 2020-2022, where the Kiwi was largely unable to train with his coaches and accrued a 1-4 record during that period.

But since being back with his longtime City Kickboxing team, Hooker has won three fights in a row, including against some elite competition in Jalin Turner and Mateusz Gamrot. He now occupies the No. 6 ranking in the lightweight division.

Gaethje, on the other hand, is coming off of a brutal knockout defeat against Max Holloway at UFC 300. In arguably the most viral moment in the sport's history, 'Blessed' landed a knockout punch with one second left in the fight to secure victory, a truly sensational occurance.

'The Highlight' has not competed since the bout, having taken the necessary time away from fighting to recover from a severe knockout. But during a recent intervierw with Michael Bisping, Hooker shared that he wasn't "taking too much" from Gaethje's loss to Holloway, and explained why:

"It was a very competitive fight, I think Justin was even getting the better of it until a spinning back kick lands on his nose... You know what it's like when you get your nose shattered in the first-round, you can't breathe, you can't see. Round two and three there were some eyepokes... I don't take too much from that fight, even stylistically."

The Kiwi continued:

"What most people take away from that fight is that Max outclassed Gaethje. I don't think it's that... It was just a bit of a banana-peel fight."

Catch Dan Hooker's comments below (1:49:50):

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Dan Hooker goes against Justin Gaethje narrative while previewing their clash

UFC 313 will feature Alex Pereira vs. Magomedov Ankalaev in the main event, while Justin Gaethje vs. Dan Hooker will serve as the co-main event.

With 'The Highlight' and Hooker both regarded as two of the division's most exciting fighters, their bout has fans brimming with anticipation. But the narrative that Gaethje is nothing more than a wild brawler has been dismissed by 'The Hangman' ahead of fight night.

During a recent interview with Combat TV, the Kiwi said:

"He is a really skillful fighter. I'd say he's textbook... I don't know what everyone's talking about. What are you guys watching, when you guys are looking at the TV? He moves a lot, good footwork...What are other people staring at?"

Catch Dan Hooker's comments below (3:30):