The Film Room: Dan Hooker

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New Zealand prospect Dan Hooker steps inside the Octagon for the third time in 2018 when he takes on veteran Edson Barboza at UFC on Fox 31. Hooker joined the UFC in 2014 and after a rough 3-3 start, he has won four in a row since 2017, all coming by knockout or submission. Now he has his toughest test to date and a win over Barboza should propel him into title contention.



Hooker is a longtime teammate of Israel Adesyana, and the similarities in their style and philosophy of fighting are evident. Their game is built around footwork and the ability to use their length to set the pace and range of the fight. The major difference is that Hooker moves around much more and is constantly circling the cage to create angles for his left straight. Notice how he will circle to his right and step forward with his lead leg to take an outside angle and set up the left. Hooker will also occasionally stop in his tracks while circling to his right, hoping the opponent continues to follow, which allows him to take an inside angle to set up the jab or a reaching left straight.



Hooker also has some of the best evasive footwork in the UFC, which allows him to be one of the hardest fighters to hit in the division. Outside of his second UFC fight, where he was dominated on the ground and absorbed 132 strikes, Hooker has only taken 233 significant strikes since 2015. To put that in perspective, Barboza absorbed 231 strikes in his last two fights alone.



Something Hooker has had remarkable success with that he doesn’t use near enough of are these intercepting knees. Since he is generally the taller and longer fighter, even since moving back up to lightweight, these knees have a shorter distance to travel and work wonders against aggressive opponents, who are flustered with Hooker’s movement.



Since Hooker does his best work on the feet and five of his seven UFC wins are by knockout, his grappling can be understated. Early in his career, Hooker initiated grappling exchanges much more than he does today and half of his first 10 wins were via submission. These days he would rather strike, but he does have the grappling to hold his own on the ground or get back to his feet.



Hooker often overextends on his left straights, which leaves his hips wide open and a few opponents have been able to exploit this. Maximo Blanco dominated hooker on the ground for three straight rounds and Jason Knight routinely ducked under his left hand and landed 4 takedowns, which won him the fight. Similar to Adesyana, Hooker is exceptional at getting back to his feet but we have yet to see him against a dominant grappler.