Hooker Eyes Diaz, Ferguson For UFC 266 Showdown

Dan Hooker’s run over the last year hasn’t exactly been the best, coughing up back-to-back defeats at the hands of Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler, two of the best Lightweights in the world.

But the “Hangman’s” woes aren’t indicative of just what kind of talent and skill he possesses, and he is ready to remind the combat world just what kind of threat he is at 155 pounds. And he isn’t looking at lower-level competition to help get back to the win column, either, because he is targeting Nate Diaz for his comeback fight.

“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.

Diaz is coming off a one-sided unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Leon Edwards just last week at UFC 263, his second straight loss. The Stockton slugger is known to take long breaks after fights but did catch everyone’s attention when he indicated he’d like a semi-quick turnaround. If it doesn’t happen, though, Hooker also has Ferguson in his sights for the same date, which would be UFC 266 on Sept. 25, 2021.

“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, “he added.

“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.”

Either of those two matchups would be a feat for the eyes for all fight fans, though it seems a fight against Ferguson — who has lost three straight — seems more realistic at the moment, especially if Demian Maia has a say in the matter.