Dana White: Dan Hooker 'can do whatever he wants to do' after UFC Fight Night 204 loss
LONDON – Dana White didn’t chime in too much when asked about Dan Hooker’s future.
Hooker’s return to featherweight was spoiled by the streaking Arnold Allen (18-1 MMA, 9-0 UFC), who swarmed him for a first-round TKO this past Saturday at UFC Fight Night 204 at The O2 in London.
Although Hooker (21-12 MMA, 11-8 UFC) had no issues making the featherweight mark again for the first time since 2016, he took quite a bit of damage before getting finished. With some, including Allen, suggesting that Hooker move back up to lightweight, White isn’t about to coerce him into anything.
“That’s up to him,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters at the UFC Fight Night 204 post-fight news conference. “He came in and performed tonight. He made weight, he came in and went to war with a guy who’s undefeated in this weight class and he can do whatever he wants to.”
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Hooker is now 1-4 in his past five fights. Despite the rough stretch, “The Hangman” has come up big for the UFC on numerous occasions, filling in as a short-notice replacement to face Islam Makhachev at UFC 267 right after his hectic trip to Las Vegas to make his UFC 266 fight against Nasrat Haqparast.