Athletes
Dan Hooker | Back In The Saddle
Lightweight Fan Favorite Talks Quick Return, Dangerous Matchup At UFC 325
The day after his last fight, Dan Hooker took to social media and posted a video declaring — and I’m paraphrasing here — that it was time to accept that he was never going to be a champion and that it was time to figure out what was next; not in the sense that he was retiring, but if the title isn’t an option because it isn’t a realistic target any more, what is?
Those types of honest assessments fascinate me and the psychology behind them is something I am endlessly interested in, both because I studied it in university and because in a sport where so few people actually achieve the ultimate success, finding other things to motivate you and resetting your focus feels like a crucial task that is often left undone.
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“It kind of is what it is,” Hooker said when asked about the post ahead of his return to action this weekend at UFC 325, where he takes on Benoit Saint Denis. “I’ve been doing this a very long time. I’ve been fighting professionally for almost 17 years, so it’s…”
He paused, gathering the right words.
“I’m not silly, you know what I mean? Everyone’s been like, ‘So you’re just gonna be a gatekeeper now?’ and it’s like, ‘No; that’s not what I said.’
“It’s the day after a fight; you know what I mean?” he added with a cackle. “Take it with a pinch of salt. I’ve lost a lot of times, and I’ve retired after most of them. I’ve probably called my sister and told her I was gonna retire 10 times. I called her for the 11th time and she was like, ‘Shut up! I’m tired of hearing it!’
“One time I didn’t retire — I had a fight the following weekend or two weeks after and I was like, ‘I’m not gonna retire; I’ll retire after that one,’ but then I won that one, so I was like, ‘I’m not retiring! Retiring’s cancelled!’”
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His laughter echoed through the speakers as he distilled the emotional rollercoaster that is life as a professional fighter in a series of personal anecdotes. But it’s not just that the feeling of walking away or having to reassess creeps to the front of mind after every setback that had Hooker pondering what comes next; he always didn’t anticipate getting to make a quick turnaround against another top 10 opponent.
“In that moment in time, I was expecting for the next year to go around and fight down, fight fun guys, and still go out there and put on exciting fights people wanna pay to watch,” admitted Hooker. “I didn’t expect to get a fight that would get me back into the mix so quickly.”
Following his loss to Arman Tsarukyan in November, the City Kickboxing man anticipated having to work his way back into a significant matchup, but when the opportunity to share the Octagon with Saint Denis and jump straight back into the fray was presented to him, the always game Aucklander hustled straight back into the gym to get ready for another potential barnburner.
Dan Hooker | Best Moments
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Dan Hooker | Best Moments
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“After a long layoff, it’s been good to get straight back in there,” he said with a smirk. “After you lose, you get a bad taste in your mouth, so to get an opportunity — we’re in this sport where you’re a loser ‘til you win again, so the longer you leave it, you’re just a loser for longer, so it’s good to get the opportunity to get a win and turn it around.
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“You beat him and you fight up,” continued Hooker, shifting his focus to this weekend and the opportunity in front of him. “You beat Saint Denis and they can’t justify you fighting outside the top 5 again, so your mindset shifts.
“That was the day after the fight, and I wanted to get back in there. I feel like since then, I’ve got back in the gym and…”
He paused again.
“Bro, that was a year-and-a-half, back-to-back hand surgeries. That’s the longest I haven’t fought in my entire life,” he added, his trademark cackle once again filling the air.
This is where looking at athletes simply as their wins and losses and not the full context of the situations they’ve encountered is foolhardy, despite fans and observers doing it all the time.
Prior to stepping in with Tsarukyan in Qatar, the last time Hooker competed was at UFC 305 in Perth when he went 15 punishing minutes with Mateusz Gamrot and landed on the happy side of a split decision verdict. A few weeks before he was supposed to step in with Justin Gaethje at UFC 315, he busted his paw and was forced to the sidelines; it took two surgeries for him to get right.
Rather than easing himself back into competition, “The Hangman” set his sights on the toughest assignment possible — as always — targeting Tsarukyan and rolling the dice against the ultra-dangerous contender.
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Things didn’t go his way, but with that experience behind him, a clean bill of health and the opportunity to dive right back into the thick of things on Saturday alongside several friends and teammates, the fan favorite is ready to make the walk again and get back to delivering the kind of thrilling performance he’s become known for over the course of his 12-year UFC career.
“I guess it’s subjective and you don’t know ‘til you know — a lot of fighters say ‘ring rust isn’t a thing’ — but I definitely forgot what it was like, being out there and feeling it, stuff like that,” admitted Hooker, who has gone 11-6 since shifting to the lightweight ranks, and enters this weekend’s matchup with Saint Denis stationed at No. 6 in the divisional rankings. “I was able to clear that ring rust, I guess, and since I’ve been back in the gym, everything has been working really well.
“I feel like I’ve found my timing and my range again, and I definitely didn’t find it in that fight, didn’t utilize it the way I usually do in that last training camp just because of the amount of time off. To get in there and knock that ring rust off has given me a lot of confidence.”
UFC 325 Countdown | Dan Hooker vs Benoît Saint Denis
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UFC 325 Countdown | Dan Hooker vs Benoît Saint Denis
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It’s good that his confidence is high again because sharing the Octagon with Saint Denis is dangerous assignment, especially given the momentum he’s carrying into UFC 325.
After suffering a pair of setbacks in 2024 and having to take a slight step back, the French standout opened his 2025 campaign with a second-round submission win over Kyle Prepolec, who subbed in for Joel Alvarez when the Spanish finisher was forced out of their UFC 315 pairing.
He followed that up by steamrolling Mauricio Ruffy in Paris, a result that prompted the Brazilian to step out of his comfort zone and spend the last several months training alongside Hooker and headliner Alexander Volkanovski ahead of his own appearance in Sydney this weekend.
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Then in November, the 30-year-old “God of War” laid out Beneil Dariush, felling him with a left hand to the temple just 16 seconds into their UFC 322 clash, giving him a third-consecutive stoppage win and cementing his standing as a top 10 lightweight.
That’s not the kind of guy that most fighters coming off a loss are racing back to face, regardless of the upside, but then again, Hooker isn’t most fighters. In an era where many like to carefully pick their spots and seek out the most favorable matchup possible, the 35-year-old striker is one of the last true “anyone, anywhere, anytime” adherents, much to his coaches and manager’s consternation.
“Of course!” he boomed when asked if those around him ever suggest taking a more manicured approach to his career. “They know who you are and they try their best, my coaches and manager, but I’m just like, ‘F*** guys! Just listen!’
“You look at every champion and that’s what they do. You can’t point to a champion that fights anyone, under any circumstances like a “Cowboy” Cerrone. It’s a mentality, but it’s who you are as a person; you can’t go out there and change it.
“There are fighters out there that take the right fights at the right time — they don’t fight when they’re injured and fight guys that stylistically, their team and managers and coaches think they can beat, and they hid behind their managers or their coaches, but that’s something that I don’t do.
“I hear them trying and I know it’s the right thing to do, but I don’t listen to it.”
And this is one of the big reasons why Hooker has become such a beloved figure.
“I just wanna do things that make me excited,” he added. “This card makes me excited because Volk’s headlining, it’s in Sydney and we’ve got a lot of teammates on the card — it’s an actual exciting event to be a part of.
“Down the line, the next thing that would get me excited is I know ‘The Stylebender’ is coming back," Hooker said in reference to former 2x middleweight champion Israel Adesanya's return in the main event slot of UFC Seattle in March.
"I would love to be on that card too. To be in camp with him, I feel we really push each other well. Being in the gym, being active, the energy in the gym with both of us getting ready is always pretty crazy, so I know that would get me excited as well.
“It’s just chasing down things that excite me,” reiterated Hooker. “If I physically can fight, I will fight.”
What more would you expect from a guy that hushed his coaches in the corner ahead of a pivotal third round to tell them “Boys! Boys! Boys! I love this s***!”
We know you do, Dan, and we love you for it.
UFC 325: Volkanovski vs Lopes 2 took place live from Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia on January 31, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!