Dan Hooker is set to face Claudio Puelles on the undercard of UFC 281: Israel Adesanya vs. Alex Pereira.
Puelles is a Peruvian mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division. He began his career in Peru, amassing a record of seven wins and one loss before competing in The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America 3. He made his debut in 2016 in the tournament's finale. He fought Martin Bravo in Mexico City and lost his first fight in the UFC via TKO in the second round.
Since then, he has gone on a five-fight win streak, with his most recent win coming against Clay Guida in April this year. He beat the 40-year-old via kneebar. His next fight will be the toughest fight of his career till date as he faces a top 15 opponent for the first time.
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Dan Hooker is ranked No.12 in the lightweight division, and the New Zealand native has championship experience. He was the King in the Ring Middleweight Kickboxing Champion and WKBF X-Rules welterweight champion. However, Hooker is fresh off a loss to Arnold Allen, where he was knocked out in the first round in March this year.
Dan Hooker is looking to get back to winning ways against a promising lightweight fighter in Puelles. The Peruvian, meanwhile, is looking to take down his first big name in the division and subsequently get into the top 15 rankings.
Israel Adesanya and Dan Hooker debated if Charles Oliveira beating Islam Makhachev would put him above Khabib Nurmagomedov
Israel Adesanya and his City Kickboxing teammate Dan Hooker did a breakdown of UFC 280 before it took place on the FREESTYLEBENDER YouTube channel. The pair will be fighting on the same card at UFC 281 and gave the fans a camp update. During the video, Adesanya also gave an interesting take regarding Khabib Nurmagomedov in the event of a Charles Olivera victory over Islam Makhachev at the Abu Dhabi pay-per-view:
"Okay hot take, hot take! If he [Charles Oliveira] beats Islam [Makhachev], Khabib [has] got to come back. He [has] got to come back and be like, 'I must avenge.'"
Dan Hooker then offered his views on the lightweight GOAT debate:
"So, I just feel like it's apples and oranges. Like, [Oliveira's] never going to get those eight losses off his record. And if someone likes apples and they say that being undefeated is the best thing you could possibly do then you're never going to change their mind that Charles Oliveira is better. It just comes down to what you prioritize."
The question of Charles Oliveira surpassing Khabib Nurmagomedov has been put to a halt after 'The Eagle's' protege Islam Makhachev beat the Brazilian and became the new lightweight champion.
Take a look at the video: