Not every UFC fighter has the chance to be on a poster, let alone be the main face of one. However, Dan Hooker will be popping both those cherries early next year.
The UFC returns to Auckland, New Zealand, on February 22 and will be headlined by a pivotal lightweight bout between Paul Felder and Hooker. It will be the first main event with the promotion for both fighters.
But it will be even more special for Hooker as he goes from making his UFC debut in his hometown of Auckland in 2014 to headlining a card nearly six years later.
BREAKING: @felderpaul will take on @danthehangman in the #UFCAuckland main event 🔥
Tickets on sale Dec 6th. Register at https://t.co/nye8CF830H to get pre-sale access 🎟🎟 pic.twitter.com/ztO2GVGBLj
— UFC_AUSNZ (@UFC_AUSNZ) November 27, 2019
Hooker believes his dominant win over Al Iaquinta at UFC 243 in October cemented his place in the main event.
“Since I first heard the rumor of an Auckland card, I knew I was going to be a part of it,” Hooker said in a recent interview with Combat TV. “I knew I was going to be on it. It just came down to the capacity and with the win over Al, I knew I was in pretty good running to be the main event.
“So to see it all come to fruition is pretty crazy. From having a debut on a first card in Auckland back in 2014 to now. Crazy. How far the sport’s come, everything.”
What’s even crazier for Hooker is the fact that he will finally be on a UFC poster.
His fight against Iaquinta was only his second co-main event, but he never featured on the poster for those shows.
That will certainly change for his next fight and for the New Zealander, that’s all he’s excited about for now.
“Finally on a poster. That’s all I want,” he added with a laugh. “I got 12 posters sitting around at the gym. All framed up and none of them have my face on it. So I’m looking forward to having my face on a poster for once.
“I don’t think I’ve even been on a poster. I think this will be the first poster I’ve ever been on. That’s all I’m excited for. I don’t care about the fight.”
Be that as it may, a win for Hooker would make it three in a row and certainly put him in a position to challenge the big names in the top five of the lightweight division.
