Dan "The Hangman" Hooker is getting inside info. Photo / Getty Images
Dan "The Hangman" Hooker is getting inside info. Photo / Getty Images
It seems simple: to beat a southpaw, train against a southpaw. But the simple formula Dan "The Hangman" Hooker has taken ahead of his upcoming bout against 10-year UFC veteran Jim Miller could just pay off.
Hooker, who trains at Auckland's City Kickboxing, said in preparing for the bout, he'd matched up against a few southpaws and their insights had been "invaluable" in the buildup to his upcoming fight.
"All the work's been done, so I've definitely paid the price to play and I'm looking forward to letting all that hard work show," Hooker said.
"Our teammates will scout our opponents and try to mimic him as closely as they can and our coaches spend hours watching film to gain any possible advantage we can get. A lot of time goes into the fights."
Hooker will step into the UFC Octagon for the ninth time in Atlantic City this month, and in doing so will become a part of history.
Miller, who holds a 17-10 (1 no contest) record in the UFC, will equal former middleweight champion Michael Bisping's record for the most bouts with the company.
The 34-year-old American made his debut in 2008 and was at the height of the sport when Hooker was first beginning to fight.
"It's an exciting name to go up against," Hooker said.
"Getting the opportunity to compete against him and see where I'm at, it'll be a good gauge."
Miller comes into the bout with three straight losses to his name, however Hooker didn't expect that to change the way he would approach their fight, despite having a height and reach advantage.
"The guy's had so many fights that I'm no going to give him something he's never seen before," Hooker admitted.
Hooker secures a guillotine choke. Photo / Supplied
"He's very good at closing the distance ... so I'll focus on a few of the subtleties to keep him on the outside.
"I'd like to keep it standing against Jim.
"You've got to go to where your highest advantage is. I think I have a striking advantage so I'll be looking to keep it on the feet."
Hooker, 28, has made a strong start to his UFC career. Since debuting with a round one knockout win over Englishman Ian Entwistle in 2014, the Kiwi has posted a 5-3 record with three wins by knockout and two by submission. The only time his bouts have gone the distance, he has been stuck with the loss.
Miller will pose a test for the multi-tooled Kiwi.
The American's last five bouts have all gone the distance, as have 15 of his 28 fights with the promotion.
Miller holds an 8-7 record when bouts go the distance.
Hooker has been training alongside gym-mate Israel Adesanya, who was set to compete in his second UFC bout the week before Hooker. The pair had been training seven days a week, for up to five hours a day for the past two months.
After a lot of hype, Adesanya made his debut with the promotion earlier in the year, decimating Australian Rob Wilkinson in the second round to take the knockout win.
Adesanya will fight Italian Marvin Vettori in Arizona on April 15.
"We're both fighting at the same time so we compete with each other," Hooker said.
"Like, who's there first, who's there last, who did this faster, who did more repetitions of this; so you get to the gym and you're ready to compete … everyone feeds off each other and we're shining through now with the results."
The pair will be at SkyCity this Sunday hosting a watching party for UFC 223 which will see the lightweight title fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Al Iaquinta.
The title is up for grabs as a result of former champion Conor McGregor being stripped of the belt. The winner was expected to meet McGregor in an event later this year. Nurmagomedov was scheduled to fight featherweight champion Max Holloway, however he was pulled from the card a day out from the bout after being deemed unfit to fight.
