UFC 281: Dan Hooker relishing another moment to put New Zealand on the MMA map

Dan Hooker has been at the forefront of MMA's rise in New Zealand. Photo / Getty

By Christopher Reive in New York

Winning with an impressive stoppage was a dream debut for Dan Hooker in the UFC’s first New Zealand show in 2014, but at the time he might not have realised the full weight of his achievement.

When Hooker made his promotional debut, only three Kiwi fighters who grew up in New Zealand had made it to the pinnacle promotion in mixed martial arts — James Te Huna (light heavyweight), Mark Hunt (heavyweight) and Dylan Andrews (middleweight). Those athletes showed Hooker it was possible for Kiwi fighters to make it.

However, the trio were all training in Australia when they earned their UFC call-ups. Hooker had come up training in New Zealand and, in making it to the UFC, he eventually took over the mantle as the pathway lighter for Kiwi fighters.

Now, eight years on, he prepares for one of the country’s biggest opportunities under the UFC banner as one of four Kiwi fighters in action at UFC 281 at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

“That’s something that’s very special. It’s a special thing to see how far the sport has come and I appreciate it as a fan,” Hooker reflected.

“When I first started following the sport, there was no one from New Zealand competing in the UFC, so when I first started seeing it, when I first started seeing James Te Huna got a UFC contract, Mark Hunt got a UFC contract, that flicked the switch for me that it is possible, and that’s when I started. Then to get the UFC brought home to New Zealand, that’s why I nagged so much to be a part of that card; I wanted to represent inside the octagon.”

Hooker is now one of seven New Zealand-trained fighters signed by the UFC, all training out of City Kickboxing in Auckland, while Hamilton-trained Luke Jumeau also made it to the top level in 2017, and there are several rising prospects to keep an eye on.

This weekend, Hooker will make his 20th walk to the octagon as he takes on rising lightweight prospect Claudio Puelles on a card that will be headlined by City Kickboxing teammate Israel Adesanya, who will put his middleweight title on the line.

With fellow teammates Brad Riddell (lightweight) and Carlos Ulberg (light heavyweight) also fighting on the card, it will be just the third time four Kiwi athletes will fight on a UFC card.

For Hooker, it will be a return to the lightweight division after an unsuccessful foray down at featherweight earlier in the year.

Ranked No 12 in the division, the bout against Puelles will serve to answer some questions as to where Hooker belongs among the lightweight elite. It’s a position Hooker has found himself in before, and he answered those questions in his win over Nasrat Haqparast last September. Outside of that bout, his last three in the lightweight division came against opponents ranked inside the top five; most recently, a submission loss to now-champion Islam Makhachev late last year.

“I feel like this is the perfect fight; this is the right fight,” Hooker said of his matchup against submission artist Puelles. “After a couple of losses, questions start to be asked by people — does he belong here, does he belong there — so I’m happy to answer them.

“He’s a good fighter, he’s a dangerous fighter, but we have an opportunity here to make this our country’s biggest moment in combat sports history. That is something that needs to be taken seriously.”