Dan Hooker is driven by UFC gold… and silver.
After what was supposed to be a one-off at UFC 244: Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz, the BMF title is back. The ‘Baddest M’Fer’ belt is on the line in the exciting lightweight rematch between Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje at UFC 291.
‘I Was Expecting It’
Hooker, the #11 UFC Lightweight contender, wasn’t surprised by the fight news which was broken right after Francis Ngannou’s new deal with the PFL.
“[The Poirier vs. Gaethje announcement] was like a cool cover story for Ngannou signing with PFL. I was expecting it,” Hooker told The AllStar. “Cause obviously they were like man, Ngannou was gonna announce his signing with PFL at some stage. We all knew that that was gonna happen. That was gonna be the organization he was gonna sign and so when I saw that announcement, I knew that [UFC] announcement was coming.
“I was like, ‘man, I wonder what the UFC’s gonna announce that same day’. I thought it would be like John Jones fighting… but yeah, it’s cool.”
Hooker Explains Why He’s Interested In The BMF Title
Looking past the UFC’s competitive ‘cover story’, Hooker is captivated by not just Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje, but also the perks that come with fighting for the BMF belt — which apparently include pay-per-view points, according to ‘The Highlight’.
“Gaethje vs. Poirier, that’s a cool fight. BMF title, it’s like a fun little thing they can drag out. I don’t know if you get, do you get pay-per-view points for a BMF title? If you do, I’m interested.
“I immediately became interested in the BMF title,” Hooker continued. “It’s a silly little title, but if you give me pay-per-view points, I’ll wrap any belt around my waist for pay-per-view points.”
Hooker could be considered a BMF in his own right. ‘Hangman’ has hung with some of the best in the world, fighting the likes of Islam Makhachev, Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier, who he shared a fight-of-the year contender with, back in 2020.
The UFC fan-favorite is set to take on Jalin Turner at UFC 290 next.
