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Sport Nation
'Be prepared for anything': Hooker's warning ahead of mouthwatering showdown with Gaethje
Stephen Foote • January 31st, 2025 10:00 am
Photo: Getty Images
Dan Hooker has had his fair share of slobberknockers over his 10-plus years in the UFC, contests that earned him his richly deserved reputation as one of the most entertaining fighters on the roster - in any division.
While the stakes have been higher - most notably in his interim world lightweight title defeat to Dustin Poirier - none have drawn the unanimous tick of approval like 'The Hangman's' upcoming bout against Justin Gaethje at UFC 313 on March 9 (NZ time).
Show-stopping value aside, with Hooker and Gaethje sitting No. 6 and No. 3 respectively in the lightweight rankings, the result will likely go a long way to determining who gets the next crack at dethroning champion Islam Makhachev.
Sweetening the proposition even further for combat die-hards is the UFC's decision to tack on a couple of bonus rounds, which Hooker believes is indicative about what may be coming next.
Either way, all signs indicate an instant classic in the making.
"I reckon (it's my most high-profile fight)," Hooker told Sport Nation's Fight Club Podcast.
"Five rounds against a number three and the winner's getting some kind of belt shot. Whether that be the BMF title or the undisputed title.
"There's only one reason the UFC books five round fights and that's to have a fighter demonstrate that they've got that five round composure and that's for a title shot.
Both Hooker and Gaethje are cut from the same violent cloth - cult heroes who draw an instant PPV booking whenever their names pop up on a fight card.
Between them they boast a staggering 17 post-fight bonuses, with Gaethje accounting for 11 in just 13 bouts since he joined the promotion from the then World Series of Fighting.
The American's last Octagon outing was one of the most memorable in the year - a barnburner against Max Holloway at UFC 300 that ended with Gaethje on the wrong end of one of the greatest knockouts in the sport's history.
Meanwhile, City Kickboxing's Hooker is riding a resurgent three-fight win streak - most recently edging Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305 in Perth in what was the most memorable fight of the day.
Asked what fans can expect when the door shuts in Vegas, the only certainty Hooker envisions is chaos.
"It's going to go all over the show," he said. "You have to be prepared for anything.
"He is a very good wrestler. We haven't seen it so much offensively, but you'd have to expect it. You'd be foolish to think that he might want to drag it to the ground just as he would be foolish to expect me to not try and grab a hold of him.
"If I can grab a hold of someone and strangle them - without a shadow of a doubt, I'll do that."
The fight has been pegged as co-main event to Alex Pereira's light heavyweight title defence against Magomed Ankalaev.
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