There have been few fights with as much hectic uncertainty as the UFC 266 bout between Dan Hooker and Nasrat Haqparast. Nevertheless it seems that the fight is good to go, after the German fighter has secured his US Visa.
For multiple reasons, the Hooker vs Haqparast fight seemed doomed, between. Then it seemed saved only when Dan got his US Visa with the help of MMA Twitter, only for Nasrat to reveal that he, too was having trouble getting a Visa.
However according to a post from the German fighter’s Twitter account, it seems that he was able to secure his Visa, and is headed to Las Vegas. Therefore the fight between he and the Kiwi should be secured, barring another other unforeseen issues that could arise.
“Passport and visa picked up Las Vegas we’re coming ! Weigh ins in 32 hours !” Haqparast wrote.
Dan Hooker vs Nasrat Haqparast Should Be A Catchweight
The insane amount of things that both Dan Hooker and Nasrat Haqparast have put themselves through is hard to get a handle on. That is why an exception should be made for these two, similar to the one Nick Diaz got for his Robbie Lawler fight on the same card, that stops them from having to cut weight.
In the case of Dan, he will be arriving in Vegas on Thursday night, mere hours before weigh-ins. The same goes for Nasrat, who may have a shorter flight, but also had to deal with issues like the passing of his mom.
If there has ever been a time to make an exception on a weight limit, this would be the one. Both Dan Hooker and Nasrat Haqparast put themselves through hell simply to make it into the country for UFC 266, and neither man should be burdened with a weight cut on top of that.