UFC 281: Ben Askren claims Dana White will fire Claudio Puelles for disappointing performance against Dan Hooker

Ben Askren believes Claudio Puelles will be fired by the UFC after his second-round TKO loss to Dan Hooker at UFC 281. Askren's comments were sparked by a surprisingly underwhelming display from the 26-year-old up-and-comer.

Tagging UFC president Dana White, 'Funky' wrote:

"This dude is fired for sure. @danawhite gonna have no mercy on him."

Check out the tweet below:

Dan Hooker looked to bounce back from back-to-back losses when he opened the UFC 281 main-card action opposite Claudio Puelles. Puelles, meanwhile, was coming off a five-fight win streak which included three kneebar submissions.

Hooker looked impressive from the initial bell while Puelles seemed hesitant to strike. 'Prince of Peru' rolled to an unsuccessful heel hook attempt which was probably his biggest moment in the fight.

Hooker managed to escape and hurt Puelles with a right hand when back on their feet. 'Prince of Peru' dropped on his back in the final seconds of the opening round, inviting Hooker to grapple.

'The Hangman' outstruck his opponent throughout the second round while Puelles kept dropping on his back hoping to initiate grappling exchanges. With barely a minute left in the round, Hooker landed a vicious front kick to Puelles' body which sent the 26-year-old crashing to the canvas.

Witnessing the manner in which the 'Prince of Peru' fell to the canvas, referee Keith Peterson stepped in to call the fight off at the 4:06 min mark of the second round.

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Claudio Puelles specifically wanted the Dan Hooker fight

Claudio Puelles began his UFC journey with a knockout loss to Martin Bravo at The Ultimate Fighter : Latin American 3 in 2016. However, 'Prince of Peru', went on to mount an impressive five-fight win streak, which was snapped by Dan Hooker at UFC 281.

Going into the fight, Puelles claimed that he had specifically asked for Hooker as an opponent. Coming off a bonus-winning victory over lightweight veteran Clay Guida, 26-year-old believed it was time for him to step up his game.

'Prince of Peru' told MMA Junkie in Spanish:

“I wanted this fight specifically. I asked to fight Dan Hooker after my fight against Clay [Guida] in May. I talked to the matchmakers and I asked them for this fight... I like the matchup and… he’s been in the top five. Not that long ago, when my training partner Michael Chandler entered the UFC, he was in the top five. I think he was [No.] 5. I remember that like it was yesterday. So fighting someone who’s been that highly ranked and is currently in the top 15, that’s something that interests me.”

Watch Claudio Puelles' interview with MMA Junkie below: