Dan Hooker drops hard-hitting reminder with barefoot training advice

Modified Apr 03, 2025 22:24 GMT

Dan Hooker provides a piece of advice related to barefoot training. [Image Courtesy: Getty Images] — Dan Hooker provides a piece of advice related to barefoot training. [Image courtesy: Getty Images]

Dan Hooker recently provided the seekers with a piece of advice related to foot training. Hooker's drill looked harsh, but he advised beginners to start slow and gradually increase the intensity of the training method.

Hooker has made his mark in the UFC community largely on account of his striking mastery and granite chin. 'The Hangman' currently holds the 6th rank in the UFC's lightweight division. However, the recent past hasn't been very eventful for the New Zealander as he had to pull out of his UFC 313 co-main event fight against Justin Gaethje due to a hand injury.

Hooker also realizes how the footwork of a fighter plays a massive role in their overall performance. One of his recent Instagram stories showcased his foot conditioning advice for the "young" pro-MMA aspirants who look up to him.

Hooker displayed how rubbing and banging the base of the toes on hard surfaces can be beneficial for foot conditioning. He asked his followers to gradually upgrade from soft gym mats to hard gym mats and then concrete as the surface. However, the smiling emoji at the end of his words indicated that he wasn't very serious. Hooker mentioned:

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"Few young fullahs [fellows] asking how to condition the balls of your feet. 5 mins everyday, start on soft gym mat, then work upto hard gym mat, then concrete, baby"

Dan Hooker's Instagram story. [Screenshot courtesy: @danhangman on Instagram]

Dan Hooker refuses to credit Ilia Topuria for defeating Alexander Volkanovski

Ilia Topuria earned the UFC featherweight gold at UFC 298 with a second-round TKO victory over Alexander Volkanovski. This win may have boosted Topuria's stakes in the UFC community massively, but Dan Hooker doesn't view it as a very impressive one.

In a recent interview with Sky Sports NZ, Hooker voiced his support in favor of his City Kickboxing ally, Volkanovski, while discussing the UFC 298 main event. 'The Hangman' mentioned that Volkanovski's ahead-of-time return from his UFC 294 defeat helped Topuria bag a victory against him without doing anything "incredible":

"I feel like he [Volkanovski] just turned too quickly around from the Islam Makhachev fight. I don’t think Ilia Topuria did anything that incredible, I feel like he just fought."

Check out Dan Hooker's comments below (15:00):

About the author

Souvik took up writing as his profession in 2019 and has worked for various publications, including EssentiallySports and The SportsRush since then.
While he holds a diploma in electrical engineering, Souvik’s love for combat sports and the written word has ensured a seamless transition to his current profession.
As of the UFC, Dustin Poirier is his favorite fighter. 'The Diamond's' respectful attitude in a trash-talk-heavy sport makes Souvik root for him. Poirier's five-round war against Dan Hooker in June 2020 is his all-time favorite MMA scrap to date.
Furthermore, he is of the opinion that MMA has taken over boxing as the world’s top combat sport due to the regularity of events.
Coming to his writing, Souvik will do everything to ensure that his pieces are informative and relevant, which is perhaps why one of his articles is still the most viewed in the MMA division of EssentiallySports.
Souvik’s other interests include singing (he’s a frontman for a rock band in Kolkata), playing guitar, and watching documentaries.

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Edited by Jigyanshushri Mahanta