UFC 267: Dan Hooker making the most of unrestricted life ahead of clash with Islam Makhachev

Dan Hooker returns to the UFC octagon at UFC 267 on October 31. Photo / Getty Images

Dan Hooker might not have put all that much thought into his decision to book a short-notice fight and stay in Las Vegas rather than return to New Zealand but it's a decision that has him thriving.

The UFC lightweight contender will be based in Las Vegas for the foreseeable future as accepting a bout against No 5-ranked Islam Makhachev for October 31 in Abu Dhabi meant he had to forgo his MIQ booking and hasn't come close in trying to get another one.

"I think the closest I got was around 25000 (in the queue)," Hooker said.

But with the UFC offering to fly his wife and daughter out to be with him Stateside following his upcoming fight, Hooker has been making the most of a life free from restrictions.

Hooker was in the city for his bout against Nasrat Haqparast late last month, which he won by unanimous decision, and with Makhachev needing a new opponent, the UFC came knocking.

"I didn't even think about it," Hooker said reflecting on accepting the fight despite having no plans to remain in Las Vegas for an extended period of time.

"I accepted it, and everything else kind of figured itself out. Ever since that moment, it's been a perfect storm of sorts."

Getting ready to fight Makhachev has been a stark contract to preparations for his bout against Haqparast, which happened with lockdown restrictions in place and saw police called to shut down his attempts to train with teammates from City Kickboxing on several occasions. Ultimately, most of the back end of that training camp had to be carried out alone in his garage.

In Las Vegas, Hooker has linked up with Syndicate MMA where long-time friend and coach Frank Hickman coaches wrestling and he is able to train with other people as there are no restrictions in place. He is getting to take full advantage of the UFC Performance Institute – which has all the equipment needed for the athletes to train, as well as onsite nutrition and recovery facilities.

Hooker will take on Makhachev on one of the biggest cards of the year on the UFC's return to Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, after which his family will join him Stateside and plans to take advantage of life free of heavy restrictions.

"I'm genuinely excited with how everything's going and how everything's played out," Hooker said. "Being over here, I've got a lot of different options. My wife's going to come over, she's got family in Manhattan that she hasn't seen for the last couple of years so we'll fly out to New York, spend Christmas in New York.

"Then early next year Frank and George Hickman are opening a gym in Phuket – these are guys I've worked with for years so it's like, a little trip out to Phuket doesn't sound that bad to me. Then from what I've seen, my wife is Australian and the border there is opening up too in Sydney so I might pop down to Windang to see Joe (Lopez) and train with (UFC Featherweight Champion) Alex (Volkanovski) for a bit.

"The world is opening back up and there are a lot of different options for me; it's like the complete opposite of being trapped – I feel like the world is open to me and it's pick and choose where to go."