UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker has laughed off Khabib Nurmagomedov’s recent comments about his upcoming fight with Islam Makhachev.
Hooker was in action at UFC 266 last month. At the September pay-per-view, “The Hangman” faced Nasrat Haqparast on the preliminary card. The New Zealander was looking to rebound following consecutive losses to top contenders Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler in his previous two outings.
After three rounds of action, Hooker successfully returned to the win column with a comfortable unanimous decision. In a smart performance, the #6-ranked lightweight, who’s been involved in several all-out brawls in the UFC in the past, utilized his grappling against his German opponent.
Hooker had some difficult weeks leading up to the September 25 event. He clashed with New Zealand police over his inability to train in his own empty gym due to lockdown rules, and had a late struggle to secure a visa that led to him arriving in Vegas just one day before weigh-ins. With that in mind, most understandably expected the 31-year-old to rest and recuperate off the back of a hectic month.
However, that’s just not how Hooker does things. Mere days out from his clash with Haqparast, “The Hangman” accepted a short-notice fight against rapidly surging top-five contender Islam Makhachev. The opportunity for Hooker to do so came after the Russian’s rival Rafael dos Anjos withdrew through injury.
While Hooker is confident in his chances at having his hand raised, says he won’t bring any short-notice excuses into the fight, legendary former 155-pound champ Khabib Nurmagomedov isn’t giving him much of a chance at UFC 267. “The Eagle,” who is Makhachev’s friend and teammate, claimed that, barring a lucky punch, there’s a 99% chance that his Dagestani compatriot “mauls” the New Zealander.
Hooker responded to Khabib’s comments during a recent interview with It’s Time For Sports. “The Hangman” said he isn’t scared of him or Makhachev, and suggested the claim that any man has a 99% chance at beating him in a cage is “laughable.”
“I’m not scared of Khabib, why would I be scared of Islam. That really surprises me. If they came to me and they said, ‘You wanna fight Khabib in four weeks?’ I would take that fight in a heartbeat. I took this fight in a sentence, I thought about it for about five seconds. It would take me one second to accept that fight with Khabib. So, you feel like his word carries any weight, that’s just not true. 99%, there’s not a man on this planet that is 99%, 99/1 against me inside the cage. That’s just laughable.”
What did you make of Khabib’s comments? Is a 99% chance of victory for Islam Makhachev against Dan Hooker accurate?
