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Dan Hooker may not have advanced in his ranking position in 2020 after losing to Dustin Poirier, but the Lightweight division has many options for him to bounce back. The Kiwi Lightweight is seeking his third fight for 2020 after beating Paul Felder in Auckland before losing to Dustin Poirier in a Fight of the year candidate.
Speaking to Submission Radio (H/T BJPENN.com), Dan Hooker named three opponents who he wants to get int he Octagon with, starting with Tony Ferguson:
“Top pick, hands down would have to be Tony Ferguson. That is a fight I woudl love to jump in just because of the mystique around Tony Ferguson. I would love to get in there and just compete with the guy. Coming in at a close second, (drumroll) Michael Chandler. You throw him in for a world title, you throw him, first is a backup for a world title. That defintetely shows the stock that the UFC is putting into that guy. I would love to get in there, knee him in the face."
Dan Hooker then called out rising Brazilian Lightweight contender Charles Oliveira
Third, I keep getting broken translations from reporters that Charles Oliveira is calling you out. Charles Oliveira, where? Charles Oliveira get on a video and say, Dan Hooker, I want to fight you. It is not a difficult thing to do. I don’t speak Portugese, my friend, I can not understand you. I can’t understand translations, say it to me and we will put that fight together and make it happen. Any of those three, Tony Ferguson, Michael Chandler, Charles Oliveira put your hand up, who wants to get in there and compete?”
Which opponent makes the most sense for Dan Hooker now?
While Tony Ferguson could still end up getting booked against Dustin Poirier after their UFC 254 bout fell through, perhaps the fight that makes the most sense for Dan Hooker is the newly-arrived Michael Chandler. While Chandler is serving as a back-up fighter for the UFC 254 main event, Dan Hooker would be the perfect welcoming party for him.
Even Charles Oliveira makes a lot of sense since he's ranked at #6 while Dan Hooker is at #4. Should Oliveira defeat Hooker, then a top 5 opponent is virtually guaranteed for him.
The only big question is why the inactive Conor McGregor is still ranked at #5 in Lightweight when he hasn't fought in the division in almost 2 years.
