Dan Hooker accidentally confirms Israel Adesanya and Kai Kara-France's next fight date in interview slip-up

UFC lightweight boogeyman Dan Hooker may be one of the best at holding his ground inside the octagon, but he's not very good at holding his tongue. In a recent interview with Combat TV posted on X, 'The Hangman' accidentally confirmed UFC flyweight Kai Kara-France and former UFC middleweight kingpin Israel Adesanya's next fight dates. He said:

"Perth [Australia]... The UFC said, 'yeah, we'll give him a [fight]. On that date [UFC 305, August 8] and then whoever'. Whoever steps up. [Whoever] steps forward. That's kind of it now. But people are just harassing me for it (laughs)...it could be absolutely anyone. It's just at that date I'll fight anyone... then I get to sit back, pop a beer, watch Kai [Cara-France] fight, watch Israel [Adesanya] fight and have a good night out with my mates. That's all I'm concerned about."

Here's a clip of the statement as posted by Spinnin Backfist on X:

Earlier in the interview, Hooker mentioned Kara-France is fighting UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, which is why he also wants to fight on the card. He also mentioned Adesanya's name, as quoted above. Though he merely brushed on these things in his interview, there's reason to believe they're true as the trio of Aussies have been long-time training partners and fought in various fight cards alongside each other in the past. Still, nothing is official yet.

Here's a video of the full interview:

---

Possible next opponent for Dan Hooker: Benoit Saint Denis

Since there's no official word on who 'The Hangman' will fight if ever he does fight at UFC 305, we have a possible banger of a match-up for him: Benoit Saint Denis. Hooker is at no.11 while the Frenchman is at no.12 in the official UFC lightweight rankings. This fight also makes a lot of sense.

Saint Denis himself expressed interest in facing the tough Aussie, telling The MMA Junkie on YouTube:

"Yeah, why not? Dan Hooker is a tough fighter. He’s a good fighter. I’m looking to fight anybody. Anybody in the top 15. As much as possible, I would like to face somebody with the best number possible next to his name. So if it’s Dan Hooker, it’s Dan Hooker."

Here's the full video of the interview: