2021 City Kickboxing Tracker: Dan Hooker Fights Anyone (Now It's Islam Makhachev)
Sundays in Aotearoa with a Dan Hooker UFC scrap on the telly can be extremely fun and kinda stink at the same time. Hooker has recently hit greater heights as a UFC and fan favourite because of his willingness to fight with no excuses, no fluff and pure straight up kiwi vibes. This very wrinkle has led to some fabulous moments watching Hooker in the UFC octagon, as well as brutal moments with Hooker stepping into zombie mode.
Hooker fights Islam Makhachev at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi and as this fight is in the United Arab Emirates, it goes down Sunday morning Aotearoa time. There is also a funky kiwi sports wrinkle here as Hooker's fighting in Abu Dhabi while the Blackcaps play their next T20 World Cup game in Dubai on Monday morning. Hooker's City Kickboxing comrade Hemi Ahio won the WBC Middle East heavyweight title in Dubai a couple weeks ago as well.
The beauty in this fight is that Hooker comes up against a celebrated grappler who has grown up with Khabib Nurmagomedov, leading many to anoint Makhachev as the bloke to take over from Nurmagomedov and leading many to appoint Makhachev as the next fighter in the lightweight division to challenge the best. Makhachev's style is about grappling control and the waves of pounding that come from such control.
This fight presents Hooker with an exciting opportunity, yet at the same time many Mixed Martial Arts folk are expecting Makhachev to dish out the type beating that won't be fun viewing in Aotearoa. Compare their main stats...
Significant Strikes Landed per Min
Makhachev: 2.24 | Hooker: 4.95.
Striking Accuracy
Makhachev: 58% | Hooker: 48%.
Strikes Absorbed per Min
Makhachev: 0.77 | Hooker: 4.66.
Average Takedowns per 15 Min
Makhachev: 3.31 | Hooker: 0.91.
Takedown Accuracy
Makhachev: 65% | Hooker: 36%.
That is a delightful stat-line for a fighter like Makhachev. There is always a takedown threat and possibly the best takedown package in the UFC, yet Makhachev has more than useful striking and does well not to get hit. The kiwi-nugget here though is that all these stats for Makhachev are from a UFC career in which he has not dealt with the same calibre of opponents as Hooker. For example, Makhachev fought Drew Dober earlier this year and Dober recently lost to CKB's Brad Riddell who is steadily working his way through the lightweight division.
Makhachev has climbed to 5th in the UFC's lightweight rankings, however Makhachev is yet to fight a top-10 lightweight. Meanwhile Hooker has recent losses to Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler who are both top-5 and Hooker has built up his UFC mana by fighting the best in the division. Hooker's attitude is at the core of this fight as Makhachev has struggled to book fights against higher ranked opponents and it's Hooker who is the bloke to step up.
There is an aura to Makhachev where everyone knows he is good, along with a sense of inevitability about his rise through this division. This inevitability exists even though Makhachev is yet to be genuinely tested by a top-tier lightweight, then again the fact that Makhachev struggles to book such fights only amplifies this vibe. Hooker is that challenge for Makhachev.
Another wrinkle to this fight is Team CKB's grappling. UFC fans have seen Israel Adesanya showcase some grappling stuff in recent fights, while Hooker dictated terms in his last outing against Nasrat Haqparast via his takedowns. None of this is new for those tracking CKB as they have fantastic grappling coaches in Andrei Paulet and the Hickman brothers (Frank Hickman will travel with Hooker). Hooker won't be hunting takedowns but he will need to be defensively sound in this aspect and that will be another boost for the all-round game of Team CKB.
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Peace and love.