UFC veteran Chael Sonnen does not think Dan Hooker should put his faith in Conor McGregor. The Irishman recently announced that he will be fighting Hooker next in the Middle East on February 1. However, with no confirmation from the UFC yet, this remains a rumor at best, which is precisely why Sonnen doesn’t want Hooker to suffer the Michael Chandler fate.
In a recent episode of the Good Guy/Bad Guy Show, the former UFC middleweight contender warned Hooker of believing that he would be fighting in Fight Island. Sonnen doesn’t want any other fighter to go through the same mental torture that Chandler had to endure for years before moving on to fight Charles Oliveira.
“I do not want Hooker thinking he is fighting Conor in February of next year in Fight Island where the octagon won’t even be set up. I do not want the next Michael Chandler situation to happen to Hooker.”
Chael Sonnen knows that the prospect of a Conor McGregor fight is very tempting for fighters based solely on the fact that it will be their biggest payday ever. The ‘red p*nty night’ is the only other option UFC fighters seem to have other than fighting a famous boxer to make enough money to retire well.
Apart from that, the amount of media attention and coverage they will get will also be second to none. And it is exactly these temptations that Sonnen wants Hooker to stay away from.
And of course, as if on cue, it turns out the February fight date that McGregor has been claiming for this fight is just not possible for ‘The Hangman‘ anyway! And not just because McGregor has been partying since his boxing match with Floyd Mayweather way back when.
Baby Hooker takes precedence over McGregor
Dan Hooker would not turn down a fight against Conor McGregor if the UFC approached him with it. However, there is a whole different problem in that potential match-up now.
‘The Hangman’ is going to become a father soon and his wife will be expecting in February 2025. Breaking the news in an interview with Helen Yee on YouTube, the Kiwi superstar revealed that he would be a no-show in February or March since his wife was due and the baby, obviously takes precedence.
“I’m good to go January or March, the missus is due February so no can go, no can go”
Hooker also looked ecstatic while revealing that he had a little girl on the way. ‘The Hangman’ has his priorities straight and even a Conor McGregor payday will not keep him away from witnessing the birth of his daughter.
