Dan Hooker eager to fight at UFC 266 – and wants Nate Diaz or Tony Ferguson

Dan Hooker is dead set on competing at UFC 266, and there are two particular names that gauge his interest.

Hooker (20-10 MMA, 10-6 UFC) tried to join teammates Israel Adesanya and Brad Riddell on the UFC 263 card this past Saturday, but matchmakers couldn’t find him an opponent who was healthy or willing to go on that date.

Wanting to make sure he doesn’t end up without his corner on fight night, Hooker is looking at UFC 266 on Sept. 25, when featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski is targeted to defend his title against Brian Ortega.

Hooker is willing to fight anyone on that date, but after seeing Nate Diaz (20-13 MMA, 15-11 UFC) say that he’s ready to turn around in three or four months, he couldn’t help but put his hand up.

“Definitely, that fight has my interest,” Hooker told MMA Junkie. “I had just seen the video of him saying he wants to get back in there in three or four months, and if you want to fight put your hand up, and that’s something I’m quite well known for – is putting my hands up for fights and taking opportunities and not staying silent in moments like that. I’m not afraid to ask for things that I want. I just see a good fight. I just feel I’ll bring the kind of fight that would do a Diaz brother justice, and it works in the timeline.

“He said three or four months – that September card, Volkanovski’s card. That’s three or four months. But that’s my date. My date is set for that. If he wants it, he wants it. We can get it done and we can get in there whatever weight class. But I’m not going to hang around and wait and hold my breath. That’s my date. I’ve got my date set. If he wants it, he wants it. If he doesn’t want it, I’m just going to chew my way down the list until I can get a name that says yes.”

Another name Hooker thinks would make for a barnburner is Tony Ferguson (25-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC), who’s also looking to get back on track after dropping three fights in a row.

“That’s just a fight that gets me excited, and that’s what the fans want to see,” Hooker said. “They want to see you in fights that you’re excited to be in. That Tony Ferguson-Dan Hooker fight, I feel like that’s a bloodbath. I feel like that’s an absolute war, and that’s a fight that definitely gets me up and gets me excited – so it’s on my list.”

Hooker hasn’t competed since a TKO loss to recent title challenger Michael Chandler in the first round at UFC 257 in January. The loss marked his second straight setback after a three-fight winning streak to land in the UFC’s top 10 lightweight rankings.