UFC lightweight Dan Hooker has made use of his time during the quarantine. As an active fighter on the UFC roster, Hooker has also crossed over into the realm of media. Now, “The Hangman” has his very own podcast entitled “The Dan Hooker Podcast.” Along with having his own show, Hooker has made an appearance on various other podcasts. In the latest episode of Submission Radio, Hooker said that he believes his teammate Israel Adesanya will easily defeat Paulo Costa.
Hooker is Adesanya’s teammate, so many would expect a level of bias to be represented in his thoughts on the matchup. However, he isn’t the only one to think so. Their coach Eugene Bareman also thinks Adesanya will win, as well as Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.
Dan Hooker on Adesanya vs Costa
Due to Adesanya’s technical abilities and his masterful counter-striking, many believe Israel will defeat Costa. On Submission Radio, Hooker voiced his opinions on the matchup as well.
“I think it’s gonna be a one-sided a** whooping,” said Hooker. “(Paulo Costa) is a big, musclebound, slow striker. If I was designing a character to do poorly against Isarael, that would be it. A big limited striker who is going to walk forward and eat shots. If I could design a character to get his a** whooped by Israel, that’s pretty close,” said Hooker.
A Choice in Style
Wonderboy’s comments were eerily similar to those of Hooker. As excellent counter-strikers themselves, perhaps they see something that the average fan doesn’t see. While both men believe that Costa is extremely durable and tough to put away, the technical prowess of Adesanya should carry him to victory, in their opinion.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to preference when picking a winner. While some point to the crafty skills and elite technical abilities of Adesanya, others prefer the powerful striking, pure ruthlessness, and forward pressure of Costa.
For Hooker, the decision between Adesanya vs Costa is an easy one.
