Betting underdog Dan Hooker plans to derail the Islam Makhachev hype train with an upset victory over the feared Dagestani in their highly anticipated lightweight bout at UFC 267 on Saturday.
Hooker respects Makhachev and his accomplishments but is confident he will spoil the ‘party’ on Oct. 30.
“That train of thought never appealed to me, or I never understood discrediting an opponent’s achievements leading into a fight. Because when you beat them, you’re just downplaying your own achievements. I have no intention to nitpick his past or nitpick any of his achievements and kind of downplay them.