Dan Hooker takes heat before Poirier fight
Dan Hooker is one of the big names at City Kickboxing. The New Zealand gym has been one of the big breakout successes in the MMA world with stars like Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski both capturing gold. One of the key hall marks of the gym is the rigor of the program it puts its fighters through. The famous spider work out is one of the most grueling which challenges and breaks even the toughest fighters.
Dan Hooker is highly respected inside the City Kickboxing but has been antagonizing fighters and fans alike. In the buildup to his last fight with the Irish dragon, Paul Felder, Hooker took exception to a meme that Felder posted. They were less than cordial until fight night, but that tone changed as soon as Hooker’s hand was raised. While an emotional Felder was contemplating retirement, Hooker raised his hand in a gesture of goodwill.
Fast forward to the callout against Dustin. “Dustin Poirier, I’m going to smash your face in”. Not exactly the best way to garner respect. Poirier for his part is one of the best boxers in MMA, and is a former interim title holder. Poirier beat Max Holloway early last year for the interim title in one of the best fights of the year. To make this an even worse look for Hooker, Poirier spends a lot of his time involved in charity work. Initially, Poirier was reluctant to face Hooker, but the two will face off this weekend.
A while back, Hooker took a dig at Max Rohskopf. Rohskopf was making his UFC debut, but was facing difficulty after the second round. Rohskopf asked to quit much against the advice of his corner, and eventually did. Hooker questioned Rohskopf’s commitment and indicated that the young fighter was “made of marshmallows.” While the fallout from the decision itself was highly questionable
The fan backlash against Hooker for making those remarks was strong. Many felt that Rohskopf was to be empathised with. Hooker has since deleted that post, but whether he will continue to play the heel in his quest to get a title fight remains to be seen.
