UFC’s Dan Hooker on Tony Ferguson fight – ‘win or lose, I’m going to hospital again’
- ‘The Hangman’ thinks he’ll make it a hat-trick of hospital visits in 2020 if he fights ‘El Cucuy’ later this year
- Hooker says Ferguson the toughest fight in the lightweight division ‘but it’s all risk-reward in this game’
After coming up just short against Dustin Poirier, Dan Hooker has some names in mind that could steer his ship back in line toward the UFC lightweight title.
Top of the list is Tony Ferguson.
“It’s going to be another war,” Hooker told SCMP MMA. “I can see why fans want to see that fight. Because I know that that’s going to be a crazy fight. I know for a fact, win or lose, I’m going on another trip to the hospital if I fight Tony Ferguson.”
“El Cucuy” (26-4) has obtained a reputation of leaving his foes a bloody mess and his trail of victims is long and decorated. But he lost for the first time in eight years, to the vicious hands of Justin Gaethje (22-2), at UFC 249 in May. Ferguson was stopped in the fifth round for the UFC interim lightweight title, and was then swiftly taken to hospital with a fractured orbital bone.
Hooker (20-9) has been sent to hospital himself straight after both of his fights this year, against Paul Felder (17-5) in his native Auckland, New Zealand in February, and against former interim champ Poirier (26-6, one no contest) last month. But while he welcomes the violence, don’t get it wrong – he is all about furthering his career.