Though Conor McGregor's newest claims for his return matchup came out of the blue, Dan Hooker says he's down for a fight.
While in Spain for the latest BKFC event, Conor McGregor — the BKFC part-owner and former two-division UFC champion — revealed the latest update he has on his return to the Octagon. McGregor told Bloody Elbow that his plan is to return on February 1 in Saudi Arabia, with the opponent now being Dan Hooker, not Michael Chandler.
Hooker was also present in Spain as one of the cornermen for The Mac Life's Oscar Willis in his first-round TKO of Ben Davis in a battle of MMA media members. McGregor and Hooker were seen having a conversation in the ring following the fight.
During an appearance on Submission Radio, Hooker was asked about the exchange and McGregor's remarks that the two are going to fight next. The #5-ranked UFC lightweight claimed he's in as long as the UFC gives the green light.
We had a few words inside the ring," Hooker said. "But, yeah, February 1 works for me. We'll get that thing straight away.
I'm on board, he’s on board. We just need to get the UFC on board and we'll get this thing across the line.
Dan Hooker Interested In Conor McGregor's Plan For Fight In Saudi Arabia Next February
As far as their conversation in the middle of the ring, Hooker says the two had a casual talk and get along well.
We're kindred spirits, as you can see," Hooker said. "We get along quite well. I think we're both very similar. There’s a lot of similarities there.
McGregor's comeback was scheduled to take place at UFC 303 earlier this year before he withdrew due to a toe injury. He and Chandler had been slated to fight ever since the two were announced to be the coaches for The Ultimate Fighter season 31 in 2023
Last month, it was announced that Chandler would instead face Charles Oliveira in a five-round rematch slated to co-headline UFC 309 on Nov. 16 at New York's Madison Square Garden. "Iron" has been out of action since a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 281 in November 2022.
UFC CEO Dana White had assured that a fight between McGregor and Chandler could still happen down the line.
McGregor has previously stated he wants to fight twice in 2025. The Irishman has two bouts remaining on his UFC deal, with some insiders attributing the delays of McGregor's long-awaited return to the promotion wanting to prevent McGregor from hitting free agency.
The former 145- and 155-pound champion has not fought since his loss to Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021.