As it stands right now, it looks like Dustin Poirier and Tony Ferguson are not going to throw hands as hoped. Not any time soon anyway.
So, would fellow lightweight contender Dan Hooker be up to take on “El Cucuy”? According to his coach, Eugene Bareman, the answer is yes.
Bareman says Hooker would “jump in” to fight Ferguson
The UFC had been working on having Poirier and Ferguson fight at UFC 254, which is taking place on October 24th. Due to the abilities of both fighters, and the fact they’re both ranked in the top three of the UFC’s lightweight division, there was an understandable buzz for the match-up.
But, recently Poirier reported that he couldn’t come to terms with the UFC for the match-up, and Dana White also confirmed the UFC is moving on. Ferguson has called on the UFC to “pay” Poirier and get the fight done, but there’s no indication yet that will happen.
Well, recently Hooker’s coach Bareman spoke with Submission Radio. While talking about the possibility of Ferguson and Hooker throwing hands, the City Kickboxing leader said this (quotes via MMA Fighting).
“October is a bit early for us, otherwise we would jump in there straight away for sure,” Bareman said. “But if they can push it back. Dan just got off concussion protocol now, so of this week. So, he’s only just started back training. So, obviously October might be a hard push.”
“He would do it,” Bareman said of Hooker. “I would have to talk him out of it, but he would probably do it one hundred percent. But Dan’s just back now, he’s getting fit again, it’s good to have him back in the gym. So, yeah, if they can’t come to terms, and it sounds like they haven’t come to terms, then we’ll jump in there and fight Tony for sure.”
Sounds like a plan
Now, considering Khabib Nurmagomedov is going to face Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, it would be kind of nice to have Ferguson – Hooker booked for that card, in case something goes wrong with the headliners and they need a replacement.
But, given the circumstances regarding Hooker’s health, it makes sense to wait.
In terms of the match-up itself, on paper, there is a lot to like. Further, considering Conor McGregor is supposedly retired, from a rankings perspective, Ferguson – Hooker makes sense.
Right now Hooker is ranked #5 and Ferguson is #3. The question is, does Ferguson want to take the risk of fighting a lower-ranked fighter right now?
Or will he wait out and hope the UFC reaches a deal with Poirier?
More About:Sports