Dan Hooker believes the UFC lightweight division's reputation as an all-action weight class has been hampered by the rise of a few names.
Hooker is among the most notable names set to be in action at this weekend's UFC 305 pay-per-view, set to go down inside the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. The New Zealander will be making his return from injury 13 months on from his victory over Jalin Turner.
His frequent calls to secure a spot on the upcoming card Down Under were eventually answered in the form of a showdown with top-five contender Mateusz Gamrot. "The Hangman" will enter as a sizable underdog against "Gamer," who has come under criticism in recent times for his control-heavy fight style.
Although Gamrot has promised to deliver fireworks this time around in order to stake his claim for a title shot, Hooker fully expects him to shoot and hold on for dear life.
And more than just Gamrot, the lightweight veteran believes a number of names high up the ladder took over the division by stifling those who have long kept up its reputation as an entertaining roster.
During a recent interview on the FREESTYLEBENDER YouTube channel, Hooker looked ahead to his opportunity to climb back into title contention at 155 pounds and assessed the current state of the weight class' top five.
"The Hangman" put his upcoming opponent alongside champion Islam Makhachev and top contender Arman Tsarukyan as three names who moved toward the lightweight mountaintop by smothering any and all exciting styles.
I guess it's like the elites — not necessarily the elites, but lightweight is such a stacked division, there's so many exciting fighters, (Charles) Oliveira, (Justin) Gaethje, (Dustin) Poirier, (Jalin) Turner, (Michael) chandler; there's a lot of very exciting fighters within that," Hooker said. "But now you can see the guys that — because obviously being an exciting fighter, wanting to go out there and perform, put on a show, put on an incredible fight for the fans, you need the other guy to oblige.
"If I go out there and say, 'I just wanna go out there, slang some leather, put on an exciting fight,' and the other guy's plan is to just grab ahold of me and stifle me until he wins, then he's gonna win," Hooker continued. "I feel like the top echelon of the lightweight division now with Islam, Arman, and Gamrot is the guys that have just stifled the division. That's why the lightweight division is in such a weird place now. These guys have been able to stifle the exciting guys.
Hooker will look to put a stop to that trend and avoid being "stifled" by Gamrot at UFC 305 this Saturday night (Sunday morning local time).
Should he accomplish that feat in what he's promised will be the "most exciting fight" that the Polish athlete has been in, "The Hangman" would no doubt find himself back in the championship mix at 155 pounds.
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