LONDON – Dan Hooker expects big implications from his return fight at 145 pounds.
That’s because right off the bat, Hooker (21-11 MMA, 11-7 UFC) will face the streaking Arnold Allen (17-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 204 co-main event, which takes place at O2 Arena in London. The card streams on ESPN+.
Allen is ranked No. 7 in the UFC’s featherweight rankings and considering the Brit’s accolades in the talent-rich division, Hooker sees a win catapulting him to the upper echelon of the division.
“It’ll be hard to deny whoever walks away from that fight with their hand raised doesn’t move on to something very big,” Hooker told reporters at Wednesday’s UFC London media day. “Doesn’t move onto fighting an opponent in the top five. The belt is tied up for the rest of the year.
“We got Korean Zombie vs. Volk and then Max (Holloway) is waiting in the wings so the title is held up. So there’s a couple of guys sitting there in the top five that are gonna be sitting there without a dance partner and the winner of this fight beats one of those guys, he’s right there in the mix for the next title shot.”
With Hooker’s City Kickboxing teammate Alexander Volkanovski currently the champion at 145 pounds, Hooker may end up crossing paths with his friend. But “The Hangman” says it’s too early to be speaking about that possibility.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Hooker said. “There’s a lot of work to be done before that’s even a conversation that needs to be had. I’ve still got Arnold Allen and he’s got Korean Zombie then he’s got Max Holloway – that’s a good problem to have. When you and your mate are so good that there’s no one else that you guys have to decide who is the best in the world. So I’m not gonna worry about a future problem, I’m not gonna worry about a good problem to have.”
Check out the full UFC Fight Night 204 media day interview with Hooker above.
Dan Hooker: It’ll be hard to deny me a top five opponent with a win over Arnold Allen