“I was so f**king offended” – Dan Hooker on hearing his management asked UFC for Tony Ferguson fight

UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker recently claimed that his management ticked him off when they approached the UFC for a Tony Ferguson fight. The New Zealander also explained the reason behind his annoyance and outlined how he has his sights firmly set on facing top contenders at this point in his career. 

Ferguson is arguably one of the UFC’s most well-known lightweight fighters, and many fans fondly remember ‘El Cucuy’s incredible 12-fight win streak that began in October 2013 and ended in May 2020. However, Ferguson has hit a slump over the past few years and hasn’t recouped. He is currently on a five-fight losing slide, with fans urging the 39-year-old to call it a career. 

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Dan Hooker cited Tony Ferguson’s proximity to retirement and explained why being offered ‘El Cucuy’ as an opponent was unacceptable to him. He recalled a conversation with his manager and said:

“My manager asked, “What about this guy?” Like a top contender. I was like, “I’ll miss his a**. What about this guy?” He replied, “Oh, they asked for Tony Ferguson… I was so f**king offended… That sparked me… That’s not what I want to be. That’s not what I’m here for. I’m here to be the best. To challenge myself against the best guys in the world.”

Meanwhile, Dan Hooker is set to face Jalin Turner in a lightweight contest at UFC 290 on July 8. ‘The Hangman’ is coming off a second-round TKO win over Claudio Puelles at UFC 281, which snapped his two-fight losing slide. He is currently 2-3 in his last five outings. 

Dan Hooker outlines what Jalin Turner fight at UFC 290 means to him

Ahead of his next assignment against Jalin Turner at UFC 290, Dan Hooker took a moment to reflect on his career and how important his next fight was. 

After losing back-to-back fights against Islam Makhachev and Arnold Allen, Hooker put on an incredible performance against Claudio Puelles to get back in the win column. Having gone 2-3 in his last five outings, ‘The Hangman’ is desperately looking for a statement win on July 8 to get back into the lightweight division’s top-contender conversation.  

In a recent interview on his City Kickboxing teammate Israel Adesanya’s YouTube channel, Dan Hooker discussed what the Jalin Turner fight meant to him and his thoughts on ‘The Tarantula’ as a fighter. He said:

“I feel like this fight is a true tipping point. I’ve got a bit of a chip… It’s time to go in there and prove I belong with the best guys. That’s this fight for me. It’s to go out and prove that I have the potential to win a world title… And Jalin Turner is one of the best. I want to fight him because he’s one of the very best fighters… That makes me excited.”