The day after his last fight, Dan Hooker took to social media and posted a video declaring — and I’m paraphrasing here — that it was time to accept that he was never going to be a champion and that it was time to figure out what was next; not in the sense that he was retiring, but if the title isn’t an option because it isn’t a realistic target any more, what is?
Those types of honest assessments fascinate me and the psychology behind them is something I am endlessly interested in, both because I studied it in university and because in a sport where so few people actually achieve the ultimate success, finding other things to motivate you and resetting your focus feels like a crucial task that is often left undone.