Bare Knuckle fights are not everyone’s cup of tea. But for UFC lightweight veteran Dan Hooker, who smiles with blood pouring over his face, it seems like a fun idea. Hooker believes that Conor McGregor’s BKFC would serve as a great ‘final heist’ before the sun inevitably sets on his career.
Ahead of his UFC 313 fight against Justin Gaethje, Hooker told MMA scribe Ariel Helwani just as much.
“[BKFC] is my retirement fund… That sport looks like the funnest thing for me to do in the world. I don’t what everyone else is into, but that looks like fun.”
Dan Hooker is all for fighting people without gloves pic.twitter.com/29h4ucrDML
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 27, 2025
Hooker’s comments come at a time when BKFC is experiencing a surge in popularity. With McGregor joining the organization to promote it, along with high-profile fighters like Jeremy Stephens, Eddie Alvarez, and Mike Perry bringing their raw, ‘fight till you die’ mentality to the ring, the promotion has become a staple for the MMA community.
For Hooker, the appeal of BKFC is clear: the opportunity to compete in a sport that embraces brutal, no-holds-barred action, without the constraints of traditional MMA.
Hooker has had some insane fights in the UFC. With a pro-MMA record of 24-12-0, he hasn’t always been a championship-caliber fighter.
However, his pick of opponents also speaks a lot about the fighter’s character. He fought Paul Felder, Michael Chandler, and Dustin Poirier, who were both 5-1 in their last six fights. So it doesn’t come as a surprise that he’s had a hard time trying to string those wins together and put up a streak that could compel the UFC to grant him a title shot.
But each of these fights only improved his reputation amongst fans for taking an ungodly amount of punishment and dishing out just as much. So the BKFC would be the perfect place for him to join if he decides to leave the UFC.
Justin you can go ahead and forget about throwing that fluke head-kick you hit Dustin with. We’ll eat it and anything you throw afterwards. Dan hooker is built for war. Gaethje is a known quitter. pic.twitter.com/CWTtd3FrjS
— SuperStar (@SuperStar_MMA2) January 26, 2025
But until then, he’s focused on fighting Gaethje at UFC 313. The lightweight champion Islam is looking at this fight, eyeing a title defense against Gaethje. However, if Hooker puts on a dominant show, he could very well find himself in the conversation.
It will be a long shot for sure, but he’s on a 3-fight win streak and Islam has practically run out of opponents at 155 lbs. Besides, following Umar Nurmagomedov’s loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311, Hooker believes the myth of Khabib’s invincibles has been shattered.
Hooker believes the Nurmagomedovs are vulnerable
Umar’s fight against Merab was a bit of an anomaly for the Nurmagomedov family. During the course of the fight, Merab not only survived Umar, but he also rained down punishment on the challenger.
So much so, that before the end of the championship rounds, Umar looked visibly exhausted. He even admitted to it during the post-fight presser.
Merab really did this against Umar Nurmagomedov in the 5th round
— ᴛʜᴇᴀʀᴛᴏꜰᴡᴀʀ (@TheArtOfWar6) January 19, 2025
Hooker believes the loss and the way it transpired, has shattered the myth of the ‘invincible’ Dagestani fighters, humanizing them in a way never seen before.
“The myth is bigger than the man… I feel like a mistake has been made… When have you ever seen one of the Dagestani boys get on the microphone and say that they were tired, they got hurt, they got pushed to their absolute breaking point?”
He also points out that this vulnerability could have broader implications on how future challengers view Team Khabib’s fighters. With the ‘invincible’ label wiped away, other fighters may feel emboldened, knowing that there is a template to win against the Nurmagomedovs. It will still be a long shot but it can be done!
