UFC fan favorite Dan Hooker has come under local fire in New Zealand over his $50k boxing tournament
As Dan Hooker continues to recover from a recent injury, he’s keeping busy by diving headfirst into the world of fight promotion. But despite Hooker’s influence and starpower, not everyone is a fan of what he and his young promotion are putting out to the general public.
Hooker will host a $50k winner-takes-all boxing tournament this Saturday in New Zealand, with no weight limits and many fighters from throughout the country. The ‘King of the Streets’ event, endorsed by former UFC champ Israel Adesanya, features a unique format with one-minute bouts.
Hooker is the latest combat sports star to make the move to fight promoting, joining the ranks of Jorge Masvidal, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Mike Perry. But ‘King of the Streets’ isn’t well received by New Zealand’s Boxing Coaches Association.
Dan Hooker hits back at criticism of backyard brawls boxing tournament
In a recent interview with Checkpoint, BCA president Billy Meehan slammed Hooker’s promotion, predicting that someone could get killed at the event. He went as far as to label it ‘straight-out thuggery’ and encouraged police to find the event’s venue and location.
In a recent interview on The Ariel Helwani Show, Hooker responded to Meehan’s comments.
“Deter me? I feel like you’ve challenged me now, I was gonna leave it,” Hooker said.
“Now you’re telling me there’s people trying to stop me? Now I have to do it. Now I’m bound and forced to pursue it. There’s obviously a few ‘lefties’ out there having a cry, but once everyone watches the full 45 minutes and just sees the respect by all of the fighters,” Hooker continued. “Since when did putting on gloves, having a punchout with your mates become illegal? And it’s being run by some of the best combat sports people in the country, when did that become illegal?
“If that’s illegal, I feel like they’ve got better things to do.”
The footage of the event will be posted to social media on Saturday. It’s uncertain if Hooker will stream the event independently or through a third-party broadcast.
Dan Hooker remains sidelined after undergoing surgery ahead of scheduled Justin Gaethje clash
Hooker’s UFC return timeline remains uncertain after he underwent surgery for a hand injury he suffered while in camp for UFC 313. Hooker was supposed to face Justin Gaethje in the UFC 313 headliner before withdrawing on weeks’ notice, leading Rafael Fiziev to fill in his place.
Hooker has been on the sidelines for a while, stemming from a closely-contested win over Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305 last year. The victory catapulted Hooker into the lightweight Top 5 and put him on the verge of a title shot.
Hooker has won three straight fights, including recent wins over Jalin Turner and Claudio Puelles. After Islam Makhachev vacated the lightweight belt, the door is wide open for Hooker to make a move upon his return.
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