Dan Hooker Shoots Down Paddy Pimblett Match Up: “I Do Whatever I Want to That Kid
UFC Lightweight Dan Hooker is not intrigued by a fight with rising star Paddy Pimblett.
Hooker was asked about the matchup prior to Pimblett’s fight with Jared Gordon at UFC 282. While he admitted to being a fan of the Liverpudlian, Hooker said he is not interested in the fight.
“I think he’s a great guy. I like his persona, I like everything. Very aggressive, puts on entertaining fights. But, let’s all be honest, he’s getting taken care of, you know what I mean? He’s not getting tough matchups just yet,” Hooker said in an interview with The Mac Life’s Oscar Willis.
Hooker continued, “I wouldn’t want to fight him. I like him, I don’t want to fight him and make him look silly. I don’t want to burst the bubble and that’s just being honest.”
When Willis suggests the UFC will call Hooker for a fight to elevate Pimblett to the upper echelons, Hooker replied, “I think that’s a bad move [to fight me]. Hand on my heart, I think I do whatever I want to that kid.”
When Willis doubled down on his idea that Hooker will fight Pimblett after he fights in London and Hooker fights in Perth, Hooker answered, “He’s on a good trajectory. Leave him alone. Leave him alone. Give him enough fights that you’re going to give him. It’s not the fight.”
Hooker then added, “I like the kid. I like the kid. Let’s leave him.”
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Hooker is in an interesting spot in the lightweight division. After being a couple shots away from finishing Dustin Poirier in the second round of their epic 2020 bout, the New Zealander has fallen on hard times in the octagon. He’s suffered losses to the division’s elite including Poirier, Michael Chandler, and champion Islam Makhachev.
However, he bounced back in his most recent fight with a TKO victory over surging contender Claudio Puelles.
After a controversial unanimous decision win over Gordon, Pimblett remains one of the most talked about fighters in the UFC. Although the overwhelming majority of fans, media members, and fighters scored the fight for Gordon, the Pimblett hype train will roll on.
Now 4-0 in the UFC, Paddy ‘The Baddy’ could be primed for a shot at a contender like Hooker. However, his uninspired performance against Gordon may give the UFC reservations about pushing him too hard. As Hooker alluded to in his comments, Pimblett has gotten favorable matchups to this point. Hooker is a significant step up, and Pimblett may not be up to the task yet.
What do you think of a potential Hooker-Pimblett match?
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