Dan Hooker says a move to bare-knuckle boxing will be in the cards for him after his MMA career winds down.
Hooker currently competes in the UFC lightweight division. He holds the number eight spot on the official UFC lightweight rankings. He’s looking to rebound after suffering back-to-back losses to Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler.
Speaking to South China Morning Post, Hooker said he plans to try his hand at bare-knuckle boxing once his MMA career has come to an end.
“BKB [bare-knuckle boxing], that’s where I’m going, Don’t look down on BKB. I swear that’s my retirement plan. I’m gonna be the BKB champ. That’s what I’m coming for. I’m coming in at 100 kilos, no gloves, let’s get it. You wait. Give me 10 years, 40-year-old Dan will be BKB champion of the world, light heavyweight.”
The world of bare-knuckle has seen MMA fighters of yesteryear have a resurgence. One of those fighters is Hector Lombard, who is the current BKFC Cruiserweight Champion. Lombard is 43 years old, so Hooker’s goal may not seem so far-fetched.
Dan Hooker is scheduled to return to the Octagon on Sept. 25. He’ll meet Nasrat Haqparast on the preliminary portion of UFC 266. That card is being headlined by a featherweight title bout between champion Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega.
The UFC 266 card also features a women’s flyweight title match between champion Valentina Shevchenko and Lauren Murphy. Nick Diaz will also be making his highly-anticipated return against Robbie Lawler.
