A change in divisions can unlock a fighter’s best or revive their careers as Thiago Santos and Anthony Smith have shown in 2018. For Dan Hooker, a move up to lightweight has been met with a four-fight winning streak since 2017 and a top-15 ranking. After dismantling Gilbert Burns in the first round of their fight at UFC 226, he has a chance to vault himself into the top-5 conversation.
We caught up with Hooker before his fight against Edson Barboza at Fight Night Milwaukee to talk about his opponent, what a win would mean for his career and why it seems like there’s a bevy of Australian and New Zealander fighters coming up this year.