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Lingering on the fringes of divisional greatness in the UFC, Dan Hooker has been dealt a series of poor hands lately. However, it seems he is more than eager to return to action at UFC 266.
'The Hangman' took to social media to issue an open challenge to anyone and everyone who may heed the call.
Setting a timeline for his return, he called upon anyone in the UFC lightweight division to recognize his appeal and go toe-to-toe with him on the UFC 266 card.
The PPV will be headlined by longtime foes Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega. Set to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the card is as good as any for the New Zealander to return for.
Can Dan Hooker bounce back?
The 31-year-old City Kickboxing product is reeling from the effects of consecutive losses. While he may not show it, having lost to debutant Michael Chandler the way he did, will certainly have chipped a large part of his confidence away.
The former Bellator champion sent Dan Hooker sprawling on the canvas with a thunderous right hand in the very first round of their co-main event scrap at UFC 257. To add salt to the wound, the loss took place on the Dustin Poirier vs Conor McGregor card, which was one of the most watched events of 2021.
To his fans' dismay, in the wake of the loss, Hooker took his gloves off in the octagon, which has become a universal sign for fighters retiring. However, his most recent tweet suggests that it was nothing more than a move born out of frustration.
Currently ranked No. 8 in the official UFC lightweight rankings, Dan Hooker is still in a decent position to find his way back to the top. The best way to set off on that quest would be to take on either Rafael dos Anjos or Tony Ferguson.
Considering the fact that rising lightweight star Islam Makhachev is gunning for a fight against RDA, Tony Ferguson could be his next best option. In fact, in an interview with Submission Radio, Hooker expressed interest in fighting 'El Cucuy'.
Stylistically speaking, a clash between Ferguson and Dan Hooker would be an interesting watch. Since both fighters rely on striking more than they do wrestling, we could expect them to trade shots heavily.
Who do you think Dan Hooker should fight next? Take to the comments to let us know!
