Rising UFC lightweight Dan Hooker has been conspicuously absent from the octagon since his intense showdown with Jalin Turner at UFC 290. However, he recently made an appearance on Israel Adesanya’s channel.
While dissecting various matchups slated for the UFC 300 card, Hooker diverted the conversation to a familiar foe – the legendary Edson Barboza.
During the conversation, Hooker cheekily teased the Brazilian and hinted at a potential rematch in the lightweight division. Their history dates back to 2018 when Barboza decisively defeated Hooker.
Despite the passage of time, it’s evident from the video that Hooker still harbors a playful yet palpable animosity towards Barboza.
Hooker bluntly expressed his sentiments by saying: “Man, all I want to say is f*** Edson Barboza. If that s****bag ever wants to fight again, I’ll kick his f***** chin off. Every couple months I message him, ‘F*** you….Because he beat the s*it out of me, bro. I’ve been prepared to fight some people because they looked at me funny. That guy actually beat the s*it out of me, of course, I’m upset about it.”
Their previous encounter at UFC on Fox 31 remains etched in MMA lore as an absolute spectacle. The clash between Hooker and Barboza was nothing short of a war, showcasing relentless aggression and unwavering resilience.
It was one of the most vicious matches in UFC history, and Barboza delivered a ton of damage. The Brazilian rendered the Kiwi absolutely useless with body blows and kicks. Barboza gave Hooker all he had. To his surprise, Hooker took it all in like a zombie.
In the last seconds of the match, Hooker’s mobility deteriorated to the point that he brutally fell to the ground.
Barboza’s journey leading to the 2018 bout against Hooker was fraught with challenges. It was marked by consecutive losses, notably against the formidable Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 219. Throughout the course of three rounds, Khabib dominated Barboza via his wrestling prowess.
Dan Hooker posed with the ‘Mini Khabib’ girl before the bout, donning the iconic ‘Papakha’. Although Hooker didn’t explicitly state what he meant to convey with the gesture, many fans speculated that it was a subtle tactic to provoke a response and maybe even annoy Barboza before their match.