Hooker stands by Rohskopf criticism, says it’s, ‘No big deal’
Dan Hooker is sticking to what he said about Max Rohskopf on Twitter.
The UFC lightweight called Rohskopf a “marshmallow,” in a tweet, which is now deleted, after Rohskopf opted out of his fight with Austin Hubbard between the second and third round at UFC on ESPN 11 this past Saturday, June 20.
😂😂😂
— Dan Hangman Hooker (@danthehangman) June 21, 2020
Hooker said his comments are “No big deal,” while on The Luke Thomas Show, Thursday, June 25.
“If you can’t handle being called a marshmallow, I feel like you’re in the wrong sport,” Hooker said.
“This is a guy in the UFC. This is a guy in my division. This is a guy I see as competition. And he went out there, you know, it just showed his inexperience.”
🎥"If you can't handle being called a marshmallow, I think you're in the wrong sport." – @danthehangman discusses the pushback he received for his criticism of Max Rohskopf on Twitter #TLTS @lthomasnews pic.twitter.com/g5WXczKCFz
— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) June 25, 2020
In the eyes of the beholder
After a lop-sided second round, Rohskopf told referee Mark Smith he wanted out. His decision after his corner suggested he should continue.
Rohskopf and his corner are receiving criticism for their individual actions this past Saturday. His coach Robert Drysdale released a video on social media Sunday, June 21, backing his decision to urge Rohskopf to continue.
With only six professional fights, Rohskopf is less experienced than Hubbard with 16 professional bouts. The 25-year-old’s UFC debut was only his sixth professional fight. Rohskopf took the bout on five-days notice.
Hooker enters his 29th professional fight, facing Dustin Poirier in the UFC on ESPN 12 headliner this Saturday June 27.
According to the 14-time UFC veteran, Rohskopf’s decision came down to experience.
“Like, all the kid had to do is relax. Just relax, take that minute to breathe,” Hooker said. “You can go back out there, get behind a jab for a minute, recover until you feel like you have one more takedown in you.
“Physically, he would of been fine if he just relaxed and got it under control and had the mental experience and had been in those situations previously in his career.”
