UFC 267: Dan Hooker happy to be huge betting underdog vs Islam Makhachev – ‘the boys are going to make some money’
- ‘The Hangman’ dismisses comments from Ali Abdelaziz and Khabib Nurmagomedov saying he will be ‘mauled’ in Abu Dhabi
- ‘This is Makhachev’s party, I’m there to spoil it,’ insists Hooker, who feels he can earn a lightweight title shot ‘after I get the job done’
Dan Hooker has everything to gain heading into this short-notice clash at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi this weekend, against a fighter many are touting as the second coming of Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Every sports book under the Las Vegas sun has Hooker (21-10) as a heavy underdog versus Islam Makhachev (20-1) – but that’s a spot in which “The Hangman” thrives.
“I think it’s great. I don’t want to say anything that’s going to change that betting line too much. The boys are going to make some money,” Hooker told the Post.
“This is [Makhachev’s] party, I’m just there to spoil it.”
There have been plenty of barbs coming from fifth-ranked Makhachev’s team, after No 6-ranked Hooker replaced the injured Rafael dos Anjos on less than a month’s notice almost immediately after beating Nasrat Haqparast last month in Las Vegas.
Manager Ali Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie that Hooker was just “getting paid to show up”, and landing a “lucky punch” is the only way he can possibly win. Former UFC lightweight champion Nurmagodmedov also stated “99 per cent Islam mauls him”.
“I’m not fighting Ali, I’m not fighting Khabib,” Hooker said. “They can believe whatever they want. Nothing [Abdelaziz] said has offended me, or been disrespectful.
“They can say I’m just coming out and doing it for the money. It’s like. ‘Well, I do all the fights I do for money’. I don’t understand how that changes anything.
“It’s for a profession, if you didn’t pay me to fight, I would stop fighting. It wouldn’t be worth it. I don’t think there’s much substance to that argument.”
The 30-year-old Dagestan-native Makhachev has reeled off eight wins since a shock first loss (KO) against Adriano Martins in his second UFC appearance, with next to no one calling out his name.
New Zealand’s Hooker is savvy to what the organisation is trying to do, but feels there are plenty of other implications at play.
“You can feel how bad the UFC wanted this fight,” the City Kickboxing captain added. “How bad the UFC wanted him on this card, to get a bigger-name guy or a higher-ranked guy in the cage with him. There’s a lot at stake.
“I feel like the Justin Gaethje/Michael Chandler [fight] and then us, whoever comes out with the best performance will essentially position themselves for a title shot.
“A lot can change in the [Dustin] Poirier/[Charles] Oliveira fight. Say for some reason Oliveira wins and Chandler wins, well then the rematch of Oliveria and Chandler doesn’t really make that much sense.
“There’s a lot of cogs moving but I feel like stepping up to the plate and capitalising on this opportunity puts me in a pretty incredible spot after I get the job done.”
