‘The Hangman’ is holding his head high.
#10 UFC Lightweight contender Dan Hooker has had many ups and downs throughout his career but he is really feeling himself ahead of his next fight at UFC 290, where will take on the highly-touted Jalin Turner.
‘I’m Just Coming Into My Prime’
Hooker had quite the performance his last time out at UFC 281. The 33 year-old put out Peruvian prospect Claudio Puelles with a brutal body kick in the second round. Months after the fact, Hooker feels as though he is reaching his peak before his fight with ‘The Tarantula’.
“I’m in a very good place, I feel like I’m just coming into my prime,” Hooker told Submission Radio. “I feel like I’ve got a lot better in the last couple of years and all of that knowledge is just kind of falling into place just now. So, I just feel like it’s go time.”
“It’s now or never. I feel like I’m in my prime and it’s time to go and it’s time to get out there and just prove it to everyone else.”
Hooker Isn’t Taking Turner Lightly
While he’s confident as ever, Hooker had nothing but good things to say about his next opponent.
“All the hype around him is is like very legitimate, it’s very deserving,” Hooker said of Turner. “I think he’s one of the toughest guys in the division, especially like the style that he kind of brings. I feel like he was very impressive in the fight against Gamrot, I thought that he won that fight.”
‘Back In The Mix’
As for what a win over Turner would do for Hooker’s career, ‘Hangman’ believes it will launch him back to where he needs to be.
“It definitely [puts me] like back in the mix, like you’re definitely gonna be back in the mix. That’s a top 10 win,” Hooker added. “That’s why it’s such a great opportunity.”
“Like I said after the last fight, I’ll fight anyone the fans want me to fight. They wanna fight me against someone unranked again to top 10. I couldn’t care less. It’s just where the fans think that I should be competing and fighting a fighter in the top 10 and everyone knows you get a top 10 win, you get a top five in your next fight. That’s just the way it goes. So, it’s nothing but big things… top five, main event. It’s go time!”
