At his UFC 290 media day interview, Dan Hooker revealed that he still believes he can win the title. ‘The Hangman’ faces Jalin Turner this weekend, and is confident that a win over ‘The Tarantula’ would be a big step towards his goal.
Dan Hooker Title Dream
“I want to be the champ. That’s the only reason I’m here,” said Hooker.
Hooker is currently at number 12 in the lightweight rankings. He has a lot of work to do if he is going to compete for the belt in one of the deepest divisions in the UFC, but a positive Hooker has his eye on a top 10 spot first.
“I’m fighting a guy that’s going to get me back into the top 10,” he said. Turner sits at 11, one place above the New Zealander, but a statement win could put him back where he wants to be.
Hooker In High Spirits
After a much needed win over Claudio Puelles at UFC 281 last year, Hooker was in high spirits at the interview. With a big smile on his face and newly dyed blond hair, he cracked jokes about getting tattoos with the media. He also let everybody know how confident he is about his upcoming fight.
“I would bet the house on myself through a shell company,” he exclaimed. When asked about the task at hand though, he remained focused.
Before his latest win, Hooker was in a tough spot. He had won only one in five fights which included a defeat to Michael Chandler, and threatened to retire after being stopped by the newcomer. He changed his mind and went on to beat Nasrat Haqparast in his very next bout.
Defeats to the champion Islam Makhachev and then Arnold Allen ensued, but the dominant TKO win over Puelles put him back on the map.
The fight against Turner is good matchmaking, and promises to be a fun fight. Can Hooker put a consistent run together and achieve his goal of becoming champion?
It starts at UFC 290 on Saturday night.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
