Dan Hooker knows Islam Makhachev is riding one of the hottest hype trains in the business. He also knows how much he would love to derail it.
Hooker told the assembled press at the UFC 267 media day that not only is he excited by the chance to fight someone with such a reputation, but he would never dream of discrediting his opponent. After all, if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.
Dan Hooker: “It’s Islam Makhachev’s Party, and I’m Here to Spoil It”
“That train of thought never appealed to me, or I never understood discrediting an opponent’s achievements leading into a fight.
Because when you beat them, you’re just downplaying your own achievements. I have no intention to nitpick his past or nitpick any of his achievements and kind of downplay them. That’s not even how I approach it mentally.”
Hooker continued, specifying precisely why he jumped at the opportunity to take on a fighter with as fearsome a reputation as Makhachev’s. In a classic striking-vs-grappling match-up, Hooker looks forward to testing his opponent’s skills on the feet as well as his own on the ground.
“I want to fight him because he is a specialist. I want to fight him because there is so much intrigue. I want to fight him because he is considered the best grappler in the division. I want to fight the best people in the world, and he’s considered one of the best people in the world.
That’s why I want to fight him. I don’t want to fight him because I think he’s an easy target. It doesn’t make sense to discredit him. He’s deserved everything he’s achieved. This is his party. I’m just here to spoil it. That’s my whole plan.”
Just because Hooker believes himself to be the superior striker does not mean he’s discounting Makhachev’s ability, however.
“He’s standing up. That’s why I say a broken clock is right twice a day. He’s got a couple of knockouts. He’s hurt some people. He can strike. Obviously, it’s purely to set up his takedowns. His striking is to set up his takedowns.”
It’s refreshing to hear such an honest take on proceedings from a fighter. Dan Hooker vs Islam Makhachev will take place on the main card for UFC 267, which is co-headlined by the light heavyweight title fight between Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira, and an interim bantamweight title fight between Cory Sandhagen and Petr Yan.
Do you think Dan Hooker can beat the odds and take Islam Makhachev out? Let us know in the comments.
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