Dan Hooker is ready to get back into the win column after a tough three-fight skid.
The perennial UFC lightweight contender was Public Enemy No. 1 in September, when he traveled to Paris for a clash against his country’s favorite and budding superstar, Salahdine Parnasse. Unfortunately for Hooker, his attempt to spoil Parnasse’s UFC debut came to naught when he succumbed to a first-round finish from a wild body punch.
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Over the past several years, Hooker has dealt with frequent injuries that have prevented him from taking part in most of the fights. But this time, he was healthy enough for UFC Qatar on November 21, when he will take on Brian Ortega in the co-main event.
Speaking on Wednesday’s edition of “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Hooker explained why he wanted to fight so soon after his last loss.
“Those fights are the ones that upset you the most,” he said of the Pamasse bout. “It’s not a power war where you can do absolutely everything, and you’re sitting back, like, “Ah, well, man, I’ve emptied the tank there.” It’s a bit of an easier pill to swallow.
“When I just go out there and don’t really get to show what” [it’s much worse]. I put in really hard training camp, made some pretty big improvements in my consistency and training, and I just couldn’t show it.
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“Then I saw that Tom Nolan was matched with [Renato] Mohican [for Oct. 31]I called my manager Ash and said, “F***, I can certainly beat Brian Ortega.” I was like, ‘F***, he’s old. I can certainly beat Brian Ortega. The UFC liked the fight, so he got it.”
Ortega was scheduled to fight Moicano twice this year – first in March at UFC 326, and then in September at UFC 331. But Ortega withdrew from both, the second of which went to Hooker’s new Kickboxing City teammate Tom Nolan, for Moicano’s fight this past season at UFC Vegas 123. Moicano won by stoppage.
Ortega admits that pulling the punches gave Hooker pause. But in the end, he fully expects the two-time heavyweight title challenger to show up in fight night.
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“I’m excited to see who I’m going to fight in Qatar,” Hooker said jokingly. “They pulled out a bunch of fake news saying Brian Ortega, blah, blah, blah.
“I’ve never been knocked out in my entire life. I don’t think I’ve ever had a fight and knocked out an opponent, so I have a very vulnerable face. People think I can beat them because no one has ever knocked me out.
“I’m excited to fight Brian Ortega. It’s a great fight. I feel like everyone who wants to see the fight, and go out there and talk my way like I usually do. We’re fun and this ship is right.”
As for Moicano, with whom Hooker has sparred online for years without ever facing him in the Octagon, a matchup is possible depending on how Hooker’s UFC Qatar fight goes. But Moicano is also not interested in Hooker vs. Ortega recently called it “the worst fight in UFC history.”
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Hooker still thinks a fight with Moicano would be fun, but he doesn’t see it as very likely, given the volatility of the side.
“It’s an absolute joke, and Tom Nolan made him look like an absolute fool. I could see the fear in his face. He was completely falling down as soon as they were standing up,” said de Moicano.
“They were talking s***—a construct that was absolutely abominable. You couldn’t dig up that construct at Paramount.”
When Hooker competes in Qatar later this month, he will make his first appearance in 2026, having had three fights in the year since 2021.