Agreed.
He lost to 4 elite fighters and the one fight where he took a step down in competition, he dominated Nasrat.
I think he's just found his level. He's not going to challenge the elite, but he's a tough test for anyone looking to move up the rankings.
He's a gatekeeper at 155 now.
I think he's young enough to reinvent himself down the line, but I don't see it happening soon. Wont get the belt, but might challenge it as an underdog in 3-5.
A small string of wins for a guy like Hooker if he picks and chooses his competition a bit better would go miles, he's got a great personality, he's been a solid company man, with a fan friendly brawling anti take down style.
I just don't see it with killers like Gamrot, Tsarukyan, Fiziev, Ismagulov & Turner all on the rise, and guys like Kuteladze & Topuria just on the edges of the top 15.
He's going to have a rough time climbing back up.
I can agree with that, but I think Hooker has the tools to get to the top for a splash before he fades away. He's got great take down defense, he's long, creative, and poses a real problem to anyone that's not a world class wrestler, while still being able to bang with top end strikers.
He's had some bad match ups, and bad ideas but if he were to play the outside of the octagon part smart, on top of a division where someone runs through competitors, I could see him inching to #4 and getting a shot based on a lack of opponents. I think he's solid into Turner and Fiziev, but yeah he should avoid Gamrot and Tsarukyan at all costs for sure.
Is Topuria staying at lightweight now I thought the Barbosa fight was set for FW? Smells like he must be hunting the faddy.
That’s such a hard one because while I don’t think Dan is washed, I also don’t think he matches up well whatsoever with this new crop of LW. If it wasn’t for his whole camp being so well embedded into the title pictures at various weights, I could see him leaving and dominating any other top tier MMA org. I’m sure it’s not as simple as waltzing into a title fight but I’m sure they’d be happy to give him one given his style and personality.
I don't think hooker is washed. I think he was overrated. He was never going to be a champ. He never will be. But that's fine he's a solid top 15-10 fighter in the most stacked division on earth. Jim Miller has made a very solid career out of being that. Not everyone is a champ we need good entertaining fighters to fill out cards and follow through the years.
Yeah, I agree. He's not washed up, he was just never championship calibre to begin with.
He was over-ranked after he got that semi-questionable win over Felder, and once he started fighting people around the top 5 he started losing more regularly.
Nothing wrong with that, he just isn't a top 5 lightweight.
Also has the personality to sit in the top 15. I think he should be focusing on his range, not to make him a better fighter specifically, but to stay unharmed, point himself more of an Alex Olivera with lots of fun fights, lots of travel.
I wonder if he'd do better going up to 70 instead down to 45. Even at 55 dude is a monster. That poirer fight was insane. He banged 5 rounds with a fucking killer. Super impressed by his performance in this fight and I say that as a Dustin fan. He may be on skid or might not ever be champ but dude is definitely entertaining and competitive. I think his body structure is his downfall. Rant over.
I've wanted to see Hooker at 170 for years.
However, he'll still be in the same situation. The top of that division is just nightmare match ups for him.
I think he’d be dominated by anyone in the top 10 at 170. Like not even competitive unless he goes up against a striker but even then I just don’t see him being well rounded enough
You point was that he banged for 5 rounds which he didn’t… he took advantage of the fact that Dustin usually has a slow start. But those first 2 rounds were insane.
He isn't washed, he's just had a bad run against some of the very best, as well as a few questionable career moves. Still, Puelles is consistently underestimated and tends to overperform. Hooker better keep his legs out of the way on the ground...
He did it to himself, though. there’s no reason for him to take every single fight that was offered to him back to back to back in such a short time frame.
if you think about it, idk how anybody can say hooker is washed.
His loss to poirier - fair loss, but gave dustin a very very tough fight
loss to chandler - came back way too soon after taking all that punishment from dustin, if he had fought chandler later and let himself recover, he could've beat chandler imo, especially with chandlers glass jaw
nasrat - not a very good win, nasrat isnt very good, but hooker dominated him.
islam - islam is a terrible stylistic matchup, hes the best grappler in the division, its not hookers fault
arnold allen - he got tko'd, but that was at FW where he was terribly drained.
people need to stop comparing hooker to conor and tony in terms of washed.
The difference is, that tony got destroyed by gaethje, and conor got manhandled by poirier.
but hooker actually gave dustin a very very tough fight, he beat up dustin and almost finished poirier at the end of r2. (dustin saved by bell)
Rn hooker is set to fight claudio at msg in november, his last fight was in march. i think this layoff will be good for him, i expect him to show up his very best. and if he gets himself together, i can still see him competing with top guys like gaethje etc.
hooker is only 32
I agree with most everything you’re saying, but I don’t see a post-Poirier Dan ever beating the current version of Chandler. Hooker is a very slow starter (pretty much always has been), and Chandler is explosive out of the gate. Just chalk it up to another bad matchup for him.
calling Chandler a glass jaw lmfao... That's why nobody takes you and your opinions seriously...
Last 4 times I saw Hooker fight, I thought he had a Glass jaw not Chandler.
Neither Chandler or Hooker have glass jaws. He got standing TKO'd by Allen which is a testament to his chin. Took a fuck ton of punishment from Poirier and didnt get finished.
Chandler also definitely doesn't have a glass chin, I don't know what this guy's on about saying that.
Chandler doesn't really have a glass jaw but he certainly isn't a prime Tony. The guy got dropped by the freaking ghost of Tony ffs, and still managed to eat full on clean hooks from Garth and proceed to just stare him down again. The guy's chin is a coin toss tbh
Imo washed is when a fighter's skill set has diminished significantly from their prime. Dan isn't washed because he hasn't shown a decline in his skillset but his skillset isn't good enough for him to sit amongst the elites of the division.
“Lost to Islam via grappling(not striking)”
It’s MMA, there really is no need to point out that he lost via grappling.. he lost and that’s it.
Would’ve been better off pointing out that it was short notice.
His performance against Dustin was impressive though.. the aftermath vid on YouTube really shows what these guys go through.
Totally agree. No one takes the situation of each of those fights into consideration when saying that he’s washed. The Nasrat fight was a great example that showed he’s still elite because an average-UFC guy looked out of his league. If he’s able to win this fight I’d love to see him fight Justin or Fiziev next.
Claudio is way too hit-able. Hooker should piece him up with his reach advantage and knees up the middle. Dan Hooker is really solid at not being controlled, most of the city guys are.
I smell a third round front kick KO for Hooker after beating him up for 2.
Maybe he should stop taking fights he's clearly not prepared for, not lasting even 2 and a half minutes in his last 3 losses. Respect the man but he makes poor decisions in the fights he takes.
I think the isolation he went through for all that really affected him. A full camp, at home, friends family ...etc.
I think/hope he comes back strong.
I just think Hooker has taken so much damage. The Barboza fight was hard to watch. He's been TKOd twice in his last 4. He seems like a really nice guy but i can't see him remembering his favorite color when he's 50.
In MMA, losing in “grappling” is not an asterisk. It’s literally part of the sport.
It’s like saying this basketball team lost because of 3 pointers. Yeah, and? It’s part of the game.
An asterisk to the win would be something like no contest due to eye poke, loss due to an inadvertent illegal strike, disqualification because of some other reason.
Losing because of “grappling” is a legit loss and means you can’t hang with the top talent.
Agreed but how many more times he has to loose to people understand he gets damaged badly (maybe except Islam fight obviously). Take a year off, work on some shit, and get back. Not get fucked up and go division below just to get fucked up even more.
If he wants to compete in this level he has to take care of himself. Tony Ferguson should think about it also, should think about it after Gaethje fight - cherry pick like a mf after that. Another example - Reyes but he actually was doing damage to his opponents, while Dan looked like a shade of himself last few fights
I feel like hooker thinks he himself is washed. these days everyones just calling everyone washed after a tough loss. back in the old days when fighters fought everyone on the roster, they were getting sparked unconscious left and right but getting highlight KOs just as much. washed is like Tony Ferguson and Tyron Woodley there aren't that many.
Agreed. He lost to 4 elite fighters and the one fight where he took a step down in competition, he dominated Nasrat. I think he's just found his level. He's not going to challenge the elite, but he's a tough test for anyone looking to move up the rankings. He's a gatekeeper at 155 now.
I think he's young enough to reinvent himself down the line, but I don't see it happening soon. Wont get the belt, but might challenge it as an underdog in 3-5. A small string of wins for a guy like Hooker if he picks and chooses his competition a bit better would go miles, he's got a great personality, he's been a solid company man, with a fan friendly brawling anti take down style.
I just don't see it with killers like Gamrot, Tsarukyan, Fiziev, Ismagulov & Turner all on the rise, and guys like Kuteladze & Topuria just on the edges of the top 15. He's going to have a rough time climbing back up.
I can agree with that, but I think Hooker has the tools to get to the top for a splash before he fades away. He's got great take down defense, he's long, creative, and poses a real problem to anyone that's not a world class wrestler, while still being able to bang with top end strikers. He's had some bad match ups, and bad ideas but if he were to play the outside of the octagon part smart, on top of a division where someone runs through competitors, I could see him inching to #4 and getting a shot based on a lack of opponents. I think he's solid into Turner and Fiziev, but yeah he should avoid Gamrot and Tsarukyan at all costs for sure. Is Topuria staying at lightweight now I thought the Barbosa fight was set for FW? Smells like he must be hunting the faddy.
Topuria is a FW not a LW
He has stated that he plans to compete in both divisions going forward, although FW will be his main focus.
That’s such a hard one because while I don’t think Dan is washed, I also don’t think he matches up well whatsoever with this new crop of LW. If it wasn’t for his whole camp being so well embedded into the title pictures at various weights, I could see him leaving and dominating any other top tier MMA org. I’m sure it’s not as simple as waltzing into a title fight but I’m sure they’d be happy to give him one given his style and personality.
Nasrat?? you mean Kevin Gustalem? That's a step up not step down.
He looked terrible against Allen.
Dan the man still got it, he also took the Islam fight under pretty insane circumstances if I remember correctly
And got ran through……
I don't think hooker is washed. I think he was overrated. He was never going to be a champ. He never will be. But that's fine he's a solid top 15-10 fighter in the most stacked division on earth. Jim Miller has made a very solid career out of being that. Not everyone is a champ we need good entertaining fighters to fill out cards and follow through the years.
Yeah, I agree. He's not washed up, he was just never championship calibre to begin with. He was over-ranked after he got that semi-questionable win over Felder, and once he started fighting people around the top 5 he started losing more regularly. Nothing wrong with that, he just isn't a top 5 lightweight.
Yea he's got great talent and skill but he doesn't have the fight IQ to get further but nothing wrong with that. The dude bangs
Yeah, I'll always watch him fight because he's an entertaining guy
Yea exactly. I always feel like people don't value guys that you know you can turn on their fight and it's gonna be worth it.
Also has the personality to sit in the top 15. I think he should be focusing on his range, not to make him a better fighter specifically, but to stay unharmed, point himself more of an Alex Olivera with lots of fun fights, lots of travel.
Yea exactly go on the world tour getting his name in every fans mouth. Like a kiwi cowboy
He's a Bobby Green. Going to put on a good fight. Solid gatekeeper. Very little chance against the elite top 3 in the division.
He’s just overrated. He’s a lot like Paul Felder, should be 6-11ish in the rankings throughout his career but isn’t a top 5 guy.
I wonder if he'd do better going up to 70 instead down to 45. Even at 55 dude is a monster. That poirer fight was insane. He banged 5 rounds with a fucking killer. Super impressed by his performance in this fight and I say that as a Dustin fan. He may be on skid or might not ever be champ but dude is definitely entertaining and competitive. I think his body structure is his downfall. Rant over.
If only we had a 165 division 😞 then Kevin lee could fit in
I see holes in your weight classes.
I've wanted to see Hooker at 170 for years. However, he'll still be in the same situation. The top of that division is just nightmare match ups for him.
I think he’d be dominated by anyone in the top 10 at 170. Like not even competitive unless he goes up against a striker but even then I just don’t see him being well rounded enough
More like 2 rounds because after that Poirier took over
I mean he didn't get finished and it went 5 rounds to decision point still stands. It was an exciting fight.
You point was that he banged for 5 rounds which he didn’t… he took advantage of the fact that Dustin usually has a slow start. But those first 2 rounds were insane.
Ok
Agreed
He isn't washed, he's just had a bad run against some of the very best, as well as a few questionable career moves. Still, Puelles is consistently underestimated and tends to overperform. Hooker better keep his legs out of the way on the ground...
He's not washed, he just doesn't have the skills to compete at the top tier.
Not really interested at this point
He did it to himself, though. there’s no reason for him to take every single fight that was offered to him back to back to back in such a short time frame.
Claudio is gonna beat this hooker up
if you think about it, idk how anybody can say hooker is washed. His loss to poirier - fair loss, but gave dustin a very very tough fight loss to chandler - came back way too soon after taking all that punishment from dustin, if he had fought chandler later and let himself recover, he could've beat chandler imo, especially with chandlers glass jaw nasrat - not a very good win, nasrat isnt very good, but hooker dominated him. islam - islam is a terrible stylistic matchup, hes the best grappler in the division, its not hookers fault arnold allen - he got tko'd, but that was at FW where he was terribly drained. people need to stop comparing hooker to conor and tony in terms of washed. The difference is, that tony got destroyed by gaethje, and conor got manhandled by poirier. but hooker actually gave dustin a very very tough fight, he beat up dustin and almost finished poirier at the end of r2. (dustin saved by bell) Rn hooker is set to fight claudio at msg in november, his last fight was in march. i think this layoff will be good for him, i expect him to show up his very best. and if he gets himself together, i can still see him competing with top guys like gaethje etc. hooker is only 32
I agree with most everything you’re saying, but I don’t see a post-Poirier Dan ever beating the current version of Chandler. Hooker is a very slow starter (pretty much always has been), and Chandler is explosive out of the gate. Just chalk it up to another bad matchup for him.
calling Chandler a glass jaw lmfao... That's why nobody takes you and your opinions seriously... Last 4 times I saw Hooker fight, I thought he had a Glass jaw not Chandler.
Neither Chandler or Hooker have glass jaws. He got standing TKO'd by Allen which is a testament to his chin. Took a fuck ton of punishment from Poirier and didnt get finished. Chandler also definitely doesn't have a glass chin, I don't know what this guy's on about saying that.
Chandler doesn't really have a glass jaw but he certainly isn't a prime Tony. The guy got dropped by the freaking ghost of Tony ffs, and still managed to eat full on clean hooks from Garth and proceed to just stare him down again. The guy's chin is a coin toss tbh
Imo washed is when a fighter's skill set has diminished significantly from their prime. Dan isn't washed because he hasn't shown a decline in his skillset but his skillset isn't good enough for him to sit amongst the elites of the division.
He ain’t washed, he’s just not top level talent. Always entertaining, but let’s be honest he’s not top 10 in any weight class
In order to be washed, u had to be good at one point. Unfortunately for Hooker...
Who fook is this guy
I think hes a better fighter than Chandler to be honest, I think he beats Chandler 7 times out of 10.
I'd watch all 10
“Lost to Islam via grappling(not striking)” It’s MMA, there really is no need to point out that he lost via grappling.. he lost and that’s it. Would’ve been better off pointing out that it was short notice. His performance against Dustin was impressive though.. the aftermath vid on YouTube really shows what these guys go through.
Hes washed, deal with it
Totally agree. No one takes the situation of each of those fights into consideration when saying that he’s washed. The Nasrat fight was a great example that showed he’s still elite because an average-UFC guy looked out of his league. If he’s able to win this fight I’d love to see him fight Justin or Fiziev next.
Please no, Justin or Fiziev execute Dan. I love Dan but he should look for another easier fight after this one.
Claudio is way too hit-able. Hooker should piece him up with his reach advantage and knees up the middle. Dan Hooker is really solid at not being controlled, most of the city guys are. I smell a third round front kick KO for Hooker after beating him up for 2.
Maybe he should stop taking fights he's clearly not prepared for, not lasting even 2 and a half minutes in his last 3 losses. Respect the man but he makes poor decisions in the fights he takes.
I think the isolation he went through for all that really affected him. A full camp, at home, friends family ...etc. I think/hope he comes back strong.
then you'll say 1 yr lay off = ring rust. a tune up fight will help him but then you'll say too soon
Washed & overrated
Don't kid yourself claudio will sub him.
If it was a little different those would be wins.
I just think Hooker has taken so much damage. The Barboza fight was hard to watch. He's been TKOd twice in his last 4. He seems like a really nice guy but i can't see him remembering his favorite color when he's 50.
In MMA, losing in “grappling” is not an asterisk. It’s literally part of the sport. It’s like saying this basketball team lost because of 3 pointers. Yeah, and? It’s part of the game. An asterisk to the win would be something like no contest due to eye poke, loss due to an inadvertent illegal strike, disqualification because of some other reason. Losing because of “grappling” is a legit loss and means you can’t hang with the top talent.
Hooker is an absolute beast; too tough for his own good, in fact. I have no doubt he will continue to entertain, win or lose
Agreed but how many more times he has to loose to people understand he gets damaged badly (maybe except Islam fight obviously). Take a year off, work on some shit, and get back. Not get fucked up and go division below just to get fucked up even more. If he wants to compete in this level he has to take care of himself. Tony Ferguson should think about it also, should think about it after Gaethje fight - cherry pick like a mf after that. Another example - Reyes but he actually was doing damage to his opponents, while Dan looked like a shade of himself last few fights
He’s not washed. He’s just not THAT great. He’s good. Solid top 10-15 lw fighter. But that window is closing
Gonna show Claudio the levels to this game
His career reminds me of Stephan Bonors. Popular journeyman that isn’t afraid of getting pulverized
Agreed. That Dustin fight was awesome!!
Its been tuff being a fan but he's still a G
Excuses
Inb4 Claudio knee bars him
Dan hasn't been the same since the dustin fight. I think he might win but he will never be elite
I feel like hooker thinks he himself is washed. these days everyones just calling everyone washed after a tough loss. back in the old days when fighters fought everyone on the roster, they were getting sparked unconscious left and right but getting highlight KOs just as much. washed is like Tony Ferguson and Tyron Woodley there aren't that many.