If Beneil Dariush wants to know if he’s still got it, Dan Hooker is happy to help him find out.
Dariush (22-6-1 MMA, 16-6-1 UFC) contemplated his fighting future after suffering his second consecutive first-round knockout to Arman Tsarukyan in the UFC on ESPN 52 headliner. Prior to that, Dariush was stopped by former champion Charles Oliveira, who snapped his eight-fight winning streak.
Hooker (22-12 MMA, 12-8 UFC), who’s riding some momentum after back-to-back wins over Claudio Puelles and Jalin Turner, is down to scrap with Dariush this summer.
“I’ll fight Beneil in June,” Hooker said in an interview on ENGAGE’s YouTube channel. “Whether that be (Conor) McGregor’s card International Fight Week, if he’s just pulling everyone’s chain as he usually does. I hear (the UFC is) coming back mid-year sometime in Australia. That as well, it would be cool to fight close to home.
So, Benny is ranked above me coming off a couple of losses, but let’s go, baby. He’s come out and said, yeah, he wants to see if he still got it. Well, I can check, brother. I’ll check for you.”
Hooker appears to be back in training after breaking his arm just 11 days ahead of his Dec. 2 UFC on ESPN 52 matchup vs. Bobby Green, which required surgery.
