Dustin Poirier goes after Max Holloway’s BMF belt in New Orleans retirement fight
Dan Hooker says the UFC wanted him as a backup for the upcoming BMF title fight.
At UFC 318 on July 19, Dustin Poirier (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC) will make his final walk to the octagon when he challenges BMF champion Max Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) in the main event at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans (ESPN+Â pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).
Hooker (24-12 MMA, 14-8 UFC), who withdrew from his UFC 313 fight vs. Justin Gaethje due to a hand injury, was gearing up for a summer return until a second required surgery halted his plans of being the backup for the trilogy bout between Holloway and Poirier.
“I did know that this fight was going down for a long time because they wanted me to (be a) backup for this fight,” Hooker told Sky Sports New Zealand. “They wanted to get me another lightweight, just fight any old lightweight on the card, and if either of these guys got injured, the UFC wanted me to step in and backup for the BMF title. So it would’ve been an incredible opportunity. Unfortunately, I need a second surgery on my hand.
“There’s too much scar tissue because that doesn’t look like a fist. I could poke someone in the eye. I said I could go to Power Slap at this point. It’s not a major surgery, but they just have to cut her open and clean out some scar tissue that’s kind of locking the joint up. That would only put me nine weeks before this fight, so it would take kind of a perfect storm for me to be able to be ready by then. So it doesn’t look like that is going to happen.”
Hooker hasn’t competed since edging out Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305 last August to score his third win in a row.
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