Dan Hooker appears to have inadvertently revealed the opponent he could face at UFC 305. The event will take place in Perth, Australia, on Aug. 17, 2024. The New Zealand fighter, who's been eager to compete on the UFC 305 card Down Under, has hinted that he could fight a high-ranking UFC lightweight.
'The Hangman's' most recent fight witnessed him defeat Jalin Turner in July 2023. It was a matchup in which Hooker suffered a broken arm but valiantly went the distance and secured a split decision victory. He was scheduled to face Bobby Green (now known as King Green) at the UFC Fight Night card on Dec. 2, 2023, but he reinjured his arm and was ruled out of that bout.
The 34-year-old has now taken to his personal Instagram handle and posted an image of possible fights that'll feature on the UFC 305 card. The image comprised three bouts. It included the UFC middleweight showdown, in which South Africa's Dricus du Plessis is set to defend his title against Nigeria-born New Zealander Israel Adesanya.
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The second fight was a flyweight bout between New Zealand's Kai Kara-France and Australia's Steve Erceg. Moreover, the third matchup in the image was a lightweight bout between Poland's Mateusz Gamrot and New Zealand's Dan Hooker. In the post's caption, Hooker wrote:
"Sh**s about to go down"
Check out a tweet featuring a screenshot of Hooker's personal Instagram post below:
Check out the screenshot of Hooker's Instagram post below:
Dan Hooker had previously hinted at competing on the UFC 305 card
Presently, Dan Hooker stands at the No. 11 position in the official UFC lightweight rankings, whereas Mateusz Gamrot holds the No. 5 spot. The UFC has officially announced the du Plessis vs. Adesanya and Kara-France vs. Erceg matchups for UFC 305. Nevertheless, Hooker's next fight and comeback date have yet to be confirmed.
During a UFC 305-related promotional press conference earlier this month (July 2024), Israel Adesanya called upon the UFC brass to book his longtime teammate Dan Hooker to compete on the card.
Watch Adesanya's request below:
Before that, in May 2024, Dan Hooker himself had expressed his interest in fighting at UFC 305, a card that's long been expected to feature multiple Australasian fighters. 'The Hangman' indicated that he had an idea about who his potential opponent for the event could be, adding that he'll disclose it later.
Speaking to Sky Sports, the striking savant asserted that he'd love to compete on the card with other fighters from Down Under such as Adesanya and Kara-France. An excerpt from his comments read as follows:
"It'll be fun being in the gym with 'Izzy.' It'll be fun being in the gym with Kai and all getting able to prepare together."
Watch Hooker discuss the topic below: