The UFC’s upcoming UFC 267 Abu Dhabi card suffered a big blow recently with the loss of a top-shelf lightweight bout between former champion Rafael dos Anjos, and rising contender Islam Makhachev. The bout seemed like a big step for the longtime training partner of Khabib Nurmagomedov, on his path to a potential title shot.
Fortunately, for the Dagestani fighter, it looks like he’s still got a top tier fight in front of him. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reports that top-ranked City Kickboxing standout Dan Hooker has agreed to step in and take RDA’s place for the October 30th bout.
DAN HOOKER (@danthehangman) is stepping in to face Islam Makhachev (@MAKHACHEVMMA) at UFC 267 in one month, per Dana White (@danawhite). Just fought at UFC 266, on a week he had to fly from New Zealand to Vegas two days before the fight. What a savage, this guy. pic.twitter.com/DJvGnbWwlF
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) September 30, 2021
Hooker will come into this fight fresh off a 3 round decision victory over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266. The fight was notable for both Hooker & Haqparast’s trouble getting travel visas to fight in the US. No word yet on whether or not Hooker intends to return to New Zealand between now and his next fight, but hopefully the process of getting a Visa to compete in the UAE will be a smoother process.
For Makhachev, this bout comes on the back of an 8-bout winning streak—capped by a submission victory over Thiago Moises back in July.
UFC 267, the first numbered UFC fight card in eons, is NOT a PPV event, it can be viewed on ABC and ESPN+, it is set to be headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between Jan Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira. A top contender’s bout between Magomed Ankalaev and Volkan Oezdemir is also set for the card.
About the author
