Daniel Preston Hooker was born on February 13, 1990, in Auckland, New Zealand. Hooker was born into a Maori family in Auckland, New Zealand.
While growing up, he played both codes of rugby. After graduating, a friend introduced him to mixed martial arts.
In March 2009, Hooker made his professional mixed martial arts debut. Prior to joining the UFC, he competed mostly in his home country of New Zealand. Hookeer had a 10-4 record.
He has a 9-1-3 record as a professional kickboxer and has won the WKBF X-Rules Welterweight Championship and King In The Ring Middleweight Kickboxing Championship.
Additionally, Hooker has a 3-2 record in submission grappling. He competed in the ICNZ Contender Series 1 No-Gi Submission Wrestling Tournament on October 18, 2009. He lost Pumau Campbell on points after defeating Thomas Kwok and Bass Khou.
Hooker began coaching in mixed martial arts in 2008 and served as the City Kickboxing gym’s head coach while in Auckland. Midway through 2018, Hooker established Combat Academy. It is a cutting-edge gym with an octagon and a full-sized boxing ring in Ellerslie, Auckland.
In June 2014 at UFC Fight Night 43, Hooker made his professional debut against fellow rookie Ian Entwistle. By way of a first-round TKO, Hooker ended up winning the back-and-forth match.
In May 2015, Hooker and Hatsu Hioki squared off at UFC Fight Night 65. In the second round, he knocked out Hioki with a head kick and a series of blows. With this victory, he became the first MMA competitor to knock out Hioki. Hooker received his first Performance of the Night bonus after this win.
At UFC 192 in October 2015, Hooker next competed against Yair Rodriguez. He was defeated in the match by a unanimous decision.
Hooker squared off against Jason Knight At UFC Fight Night 101 on November 27, 2016. He was defeated by a unanimous decision in the bout.
Hooker faced Ross Pearson at UFC Fight Night 110 in June 2017, moving up from featherweight to lightweight. He received training at City Kickboxing in Newton, Auckland. In the second round, he knocked out his opponent to win the match. With the victory, Hooker received his second bonus for Performance of the Night.
In July 2018, Gilbert Burns and Hooker squared off at UFC 226. Hooker knocked out Burns in the first round to win the match.
At UFC 243 in October 2019, Hooker took on former title challenger Al Iaquinta. Hooker was declared the winner by unanimous decision.
In February 2020, Hooker and Paul Felder squared off at UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. Hooker. Hooker ended up winning the match through a controversial split decision.
In June 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker, Hooker competed against former UFC title contender Dustin Poirier. He was defeated by a unanimous decision in the bout. Due to back-and-forth brutal exchanges, this match was hailed as one of the best of the year.
At UFC 257 in January 2021, Hooker competed against former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler. In the first round, he was defeated via technical knockout. After the match, Hooker retired by leaving his gloves in the centre of the octagon. He later stressed that he had reconsidered that decision and would not leave the sport.
At UFC 267, Hooker took on Islam Makhachev as Rafael Dos Anjos’ last-minute substitute. Hooker ended up losing the match through submission in round one.
At UFC Fight Night 204, Hooker competed against Arnold Allen at featherweight in March 2022. In the first round, he was defeated via technical knockout.
In July 2023, Hooker and Jalin Turner squared off at UFC 290. Turner exceeded the non-title lightweight limit by 2 pounds during the weigh-ins, coming in at 158 pounds. Because of this, the match was held at catchweight and Turner was fined 20% of the winnings from the match. It was a competitive match, and Hooker ended up winning it by split decision.
Hooker went on a tattoo spree after.
Dan Hooker is married to his girlfriend Isabella.
