With the betting odds stacked against him, Dan Hooker is relishing the underdog role at UFC 267.
Hooker (21-10 MMA, 11-6 UFC) meets Islam Makhachev (20-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) on Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, where he’ll look to snap the winning streak of the highly touted contender.
But Hooker is not irked by the hype surrounding Makhachev, nor competing in what has become a second home to the Russian. He’s just excited to beat the odds.
“That train of thought never appealed to me, or I never understood discrediting an opponent’s achievements leading into a fight,” Hooker said Wednesday at UFC 267’s media day. “Because when you beat them, you’re just downplaying your own achievements. I have no intention to nitpick his past or nitpick any of his achievements and kind of downplay them. That’s not even how I approach it mentally.
“I want to fight him because he is a specialist. I want to fight him because there is so much intrigue. I want to fight him because he is considered the best grappler in the division. I want to fight the best people in the world, and he’s considered one of the best people in the world. That’s why I want to fight him. I don’t want to fight him because I think he’s an easy target. It doesn’t make sense to discredit him. He’s deserved everything he’s achieved. This is his party. I’m just here to spoil it. That’s my whole plan.”
In a classic striker vs. grappler matchup, Hooker doesn’t rate Makhachev’s striking too highly, but that doesn’t mean he’ll underestimate him.
“He’s standing up,” Hooker said. “That’s why I say a broken clock is right twice a day. He’s got a couple of knockouts. He’s hurt some people. He can strike. Obviously, it’s purely to set up his takedowns. His striking is to set up his takedowns.”
Dan Hooker: UFC 267 is Islam Makhachev’s party, and I’m here to spoil it
