Dan Hooker hints at next opponent for August return

Dan Hooker has lost four of his last five fights and is looking to reclaim his former glory as a top-tier UFC fighter. The 32-year-old has his sights set on returning to the lightweight division and targets a fight against former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos next.

Dos Anjos recently tweeted an open challenge to anyone to fight him in July or August. Hooker seemingly accepted RDA’s challenge and tweeted that he’d smash his face in:

Speaking to The AllStar’s John Hyon Ko, Hooker addressed his response to RDA’s tweet:

“I sat on that all day. I was like, ‘You know what, nah, I’m done. I’m not gonna talk sh**. I’m, you know, coming off some bad losses. I’m not gonna talk sh**.’”

Reiterating that he'd initially decided not to respond to RDA’s challenge, Hooker added:

“No one else said nothing! He said ‘anybody.’ Hey, I’m your huckleberry. You know what I mean?”

In response to Ko asking whether August sounds suitable for a possible RDA matchup, Hooker said: “August sounds good, mate. RDA, I like him.”

Ko and Hooker discussed speculation regarding the UFC potentially organizing a pay-per-view event in Australia this August. Hooker indicated that while nothing’s been officially confirmed, he’d be open to competing at the event.

‘The Hangman’ was also questioned about whether he intends to continue competing in the featherweight division or wants to move back to lightweight. In his last fight, the New Zealander returned to featherweight and suffered a vicious first-round technical knockout loss to Arnold Allen in March. Hooker suggested that he plans to return to the lightweight division for his next fight.

Watch Dan Hooker’s conversation with John Hyon Ko in the video below:

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Daniel Cormier feels Dan Hooker is at the tail end of his career

The consensus is that due to his recent setbacks inside the octagon, Dan Hooker's heading into his next fight in a must-win situation. Following 'The Hangman's loss against Allen, MMA legend Daniel Cormier opined that Hooker’s best days are probably behind him.

On ESPN MMA’s DC & RC Show, Cormier claimed that ‘The Hangman’ was turning into a gatekeeper and said:

“We know now that Dan Hooker is now on the tail end. Because when you start to become the person that is there to uplift the younger talent, the gatekeeper per se, like you know, you always say I try to make everybody a gatekeeper it seems like now he will continue to find himself in those types of matchups."

Watch the episode of the DC & RC Show here: