Dan Hooker ‘Can’t Turn A Fight Down,’ Set For UFC 267

Dan Hooker is the definition of a fighter. 

The UFC contender will make a quick turnaround when he faces Islam Makhachev at UFC 267.

Hooker is coming off a decision win over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266 last month. UFC 267 takes place October 30 from Abu Dhabi.

He was a guest on Submission Radio recently to discuss the fight.

“I can’t turn a fight down. It’s like the craziest thing. I’m like, nah, this is the smart thing to do, this is the smart thing to do (to not fight). Sean Shelby asked me if I wanted to fight, and I said yeah. It was, yeah, I can’t turn fights down.”<
“I woke up this morning, had a couple of missed calls from Sean Shelby. I called him back, and he says, ‘you’re still alive, I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for the last how many days.’ And I said, hey, I’m barely alive, but I’m hanging in there. He asked me, you want to fight Islam Makhachev? And I said, yeah cool, I’ll fight him.”

“They knew full well the situation, they knew the situation I’m in. It was kinda all just done without saying. Sean Shelby knows that situation that I’m in. he knows that taking this fight means that I’m stuck outside of New Zealand indefinitely. So, he just came with something that made sense. But to be honest, he just asked me if I wanted to fight. They’ve given me a little bit extra for having to lift my life up and completely move it somewhere else. But it’s not about the money, it’s about proving you’re the best fighter in the world at the end of the day.”