Dan Hooker of New Zealand celebrates his victory. Photo / Getty
Dan Hooker will be a ranked fighter next week after decimating Brazilian Gilbert Burns in the opening round of their bout at UFC 226.
In his 10th UFC bout, Hooker needed less than three minutes to win the fight after tagging Burns with a barrage of heavy shots.
The Kiwi made a statement with the bout - his fourth win on the trot - and called out the UFC for 'getting these guys hurt.'
"Give me a top-10 guy," Hooker said after the win. "That's four in a row...put some respect on my name."
Burns scored the first heavy shot of the match, but it only seemed to wake Hooker up. The reach advantage came into play early, with the Kiwi sending the Brazilian to the ground twice.
Both times, Hooker let Burns get up - with Burns' strength on the ground.
The one time Burns was able to take Hooker down, it ended badly for him as the Kiwi took control - attempting to submit Burns with a big smile across his face.
It was a telling point in the match up as Burns had no answer for the 28-year-old Aucklander who continues to impress.
Burns, a four-time jiu jitsu world champion, was expected to provide a good test for Hooker - instead, the Kiwi was able to make a big statement in the deepest division the UFC has to offer.
He now holds a 18-7-0 professional record (7-3-0 in UFC), with 16 of his 18 wins coming by way of stoppage.
The win sees the City Kickboxing stable go two for two this weekend, after middleweight Israel Adesanya tore Hawaiian Brad Tavares apart on Saturday night.
Both fighters will likely find themselves ranked in the top 15 in their respective classes next week as they continue to bring some attention to their name at the top level of mixed martial arts.
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