Dan Hooker has hinted that he could face Charles Oliveira next, but it wouldn’t be the first time he has done so.
Hooker had previously announced a bout with Oliveira, but admitted he was just joking after reports were denied by “The Bronx.” “The Hangman” instead faced Mateusz Gamrot last weekend at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia. A +250 underdog prior to the bout, Hooker went on to win a split decision against the Pole in their “Fight of the Night” bout.
“I was in bad shape and I was happy I put my hand up,” Hooker recently told MAC Life. “I felt like I was in bad shape and the timing was bad. I said the fight was going to go one or two ways. Either I get some distance and I go after him and he can’t cover the distance, or I get taken down and I scramble and I get up and I pressure him and wear him down. I think it was the second of those two options. It was pretty much a worst-case scenario.”
Hooker then ran into UFC executive Hunter Campbell in the lobby of the Fighters Hotel to discuss his plans for the future. Hooker again hinted that Oliveira could be his next opponent, but noted that his options are wide open at this point. Hooker also claims he has asked for number one contender Arman Tsarukyan to take on the toughest road to a title shot.
“He asked me, ‘Who do you want to fight next?’ and I said, ‘I’ll beat any dog.’ I said, ‘Give me all the dogs!’ My manager, Ash, was there and he said, ‘I’ll match you up.’ I said, ‘I’ll do it for free.’ Ash just said, ‘Whoa, whoa.'”
“Yeah, they’re going after Charles. It’d be a good fight, but there’s a ton of cool stuff I could do. It’s a pretty crazy situation, a pretty wild sport, so we’ll see what happens… I don’t really care about anybody else, not even Arman. I told Hunter I want to fight Arman, because who cares, we’re going to take the hardest road possible for the title. Turner, Gamrot, Arman, Islam, I don’t care.”
