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Dan Hooker had stated in the past that he wouldn't take a fight against someone like Tony Ferguson on short notice. It's a logical move to make, especially since Tony Ferguson happens to be among the 2-3 most dangerous men in the Lightweight division.
Tony Ferguson was supposed to face Dustin Poirier, the man who Dan Hooker last faced (and lost to) in the co-main event of UFC 254. However, Dana White revealed that the fight was off and declared it 'unsalvagable', stating that UFC is looking for new options for Tony Ferguson.
Dustin Poirier simply told ESPN that he couldn't come to terms with the UFC, which is a way of saying that they couldn't agree on the payment. Tony Ferguson personally requested UFC to pay Poirier what he's worth, but we can't be sure if that's happening or not.
Dan Hooker's coach Eugene Bareman has come to the forefront in the last couple of years and has been recognized as one of the world's best MMA coaches. Speaking to Submission Radio (H/T MMA Mania), Baremen said that October is a bit early for them since Dan Hooker just started training again.
“October is a bit early for us, otherwise we would jump in there straight away for sure. But if they can push it back,” Bareman said. “Dan just got off concussion protocol now, so of this week. So, he’s only just started back training,” he added.
Bareman did, however, state that Dan Hooker would likely take the fight without any hesitation. He admitted that he would have to talk Dan Hooker out of it:
“Obviously October might be a hard push. He would do it. I would have to talk him out of it, but he would probably do it one hundred percent. But Dan’s just back now, he’s getting fit again, it’s good to have him back in the gym. So, yeah, if they can’t come to terms, and it sounds like they haven’t come to terms, then we’ll jump in there and fight Tony for sure.”
Does it make sense for Dan Hooker to take such a short notice fight?
Eugene Baremen is certainly right in saying that he would need to talk Dan Hooker out of it. Facing Tony Ferguson after losing to Dustin Poirier in a great fight would be a step up for the Kiwi star.
With that said, UFC 254 is stacked enough that it doesn't need a Tony Ferguson fight. Hopefully, UFC pays Dustin Poirier what he deserves and they face off in a Fight Night main event, so they can battle it out over five rounds.
