Dan Hooker will make his return to featherweight when he takes on 145-pound contender Arnold Allen at UFC London on March 19.
The event, expected to take place at the O2 Arena, will mark the UFC’s first trip to England’s capital since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The promotion confirmed the addition of Hooker vs. Allen to the card on Monday.
While the March 19 card will represent the UFC’s return to across the Atlantic, it will mark an even bigger homecoming for Hooker (22-11), who will be returning to featherweight for the first time since 2016.
After a 3-3 start in the UFC at 145 pounds, “The Hangman” made the move to lightweight. There, he initially went 7-1 and defeated the likes of Gilbert Burns, Jim Miller, Al Iaquinta, and Paul Felder. But since a main event victory over “The Irish Dragon,” Hooker has seen his form plummet.
In his last four outings, the New Zealander has gone 1-3, falling to defeats against Dustin Poirier, Michael Chandler, and Islam Makhachev. Despite those names representing three of the toughest tests in the weight class, Hooker acknowledged that returning to contention will be difficult in the current lightweight landscape.
After a successful trial weight cut to 145 pounds late last year, Hooker made it clear he was pursuing a return to featherweight. Now, with his desired matchups against “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung and Brian Ortega not coming to fruition, “The Hangman” will be welcomed back to the division by a surging Englishman.
At UFC London, Hooker will be looking to score one for the internationals when he faces Ipswich native “Almighty” Allen (17-1). The 28-year-old is widely considered the hottest prospect at 145 pounds and has found himself at #7 in the rankings after a perfect 8-0 start in the UFC.
Allen’s record on MMA’s biggest stage includes triumphs over Makwan Amirkhani, Gilbert Melendez, and Nik Lentz. Most recently, he established himself as the top rising contender in the division by getting past Sodiq Yusuff in April 2021.
Allen and Hooker will join a stacked UFC Fight Night card with a host of exciting names. The event will be headlined by an intriguing heavyweight contest between perennial contender Alexander Volkov and England’s best hope for a UFC heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall.
Listed below are the fights currently expected to go down on March 19 in London, England:
Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall (heavyweight main event)
Dan Hooker vs. Arnold Allen (featherweight)
Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Sergei Pavlovich (heavyweight)
Jack Shore vs. Timur Valiev (bantamweight)
Paddy Pimblett vs. Kazula Vargas (lightweight)
Nathanial Wood vs. Liudvik Sholinian (bantamweight)
Makwan Amirkhani vs. Mike Grundy (featherweight)
Molly McCann vs. Luana Carolina (women’s flyweight)
Cody Durden vs. Muhammad Mokaev (flyweight)
Jake Hadley vs. Allan Nascimento (flyweight)
Cory McKenna vs. Elise Reed (women’s strawweight)
Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC London, Dan Hooker or Arnold Allen?
