Dan Hooker

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Summary

 Daniel Preston Hooker, born February 13th, 1990, is a New Zealand professional mixed martial artist and a formidable former kickboxer. He currently stands as a prominent competitor in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's Lightweight division. Before his UFC ascent, Hooker held titles as the King in the Ring Middleweight Kickboxing Champion and the WKBF X-Rules Welterweight Champion. As of November 18th, 2025, he proudly ranks as the #6 contender in the UFC lightweight standings. Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Hooker's heritage includes Māori (Ngāti Maniapoto) roots. His youth was shaped by a passion for rugby, playing both codes throughout his schooling. It was after leaving school that a friend introduced him to the intense world of mixed martial arts. Hooker embarked on his professional MMA journey in March 2009, initially making his mark primarily within his native New Zealand. He amassed an impressive 10-4 record before making the leap to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Beyond MMA, Dan also boasts a professional kickboxing record of 9-1-3, having clinched the King In The Ring Middleweight Kickboxing Championship and the WKBF X-Rules Welterweight Championship. His grappling skills are equally noteworthy, with a 3-2 submission grappling record. He even competed in a heavyweight bout, securing a second-round knockout win. Hooker's dedication extends to coaching, having been a head coach at Auckland's City Kickboxing gym since 2008, and later opening his own state-of-the-art gym, Combat Academy, in Ellerslie, Auckland. His UFC debut occurred on June 28th, 2014, at UFC Fight Night 43, where he secured a first-round TKO victory against Ian Entwistle. While he faced a decision loss to Maximo Blanco later that year, 2015 saw him achieve a stunning knockout victory over Hatsu Hioki, marking the first time Hioki had been knocked out in an MMA fight and earning Hooker his first Performance of the Night bonus. He also earned a Fight of the Night award for his thrilling bout against Dustin Poirier in 2020, a fight widely regarded as one of the greatest of the year. Hooker's career has been a testament to his resilience and evolving skill set. He's secured numerous Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night awards, showcasing his exciting fighting style. His journey has seen him compete across various weight classes and face some of the toughest opponents in the sport. In 2021, he briefly considered retirement after a loss to Michael Chandler, but ultimately decided to continue his career. By October 25th, 2025, Hooker reached another significant milestone, earning his Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Beyond his fighting prowess, Hooker has demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit by running and teaching at his own gym. While he relocated to the United States in 2021 due to lockdown measures in New Zealand and visa complexities, he continues to train and represent his homeland from Auckland. His impressive accolades include three Performance of the Night awards, three Fight of the Night awards, and multiple nominations for UFC's President's Choice Fight of the Year. He is also a former AFC Lightweight Champion with two successful title defenses and a former New Zealand Lightweight Champion. In kickboxing, he holds the WKBF X-Rules Welterweight Championship and the King in the Ring Middleweight Championship.
Dan_Hooker

Full Wikipedia Article

 Daniel Preston Hooker (born 13 February 1990) is a New Zealand professional mixed martial artist and former kickboxer. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Hooker was the King in the Ring Middleweight Kickboxing Champion and WKBF X-Rules Welterweight Champion. As of 18 November 2025, he is #6 in the UFC lightweight rankings. == Early life == Hooker was born in Auckland, New Zealand into a family of partial Māori (Ngāti Maniapoto) descent. He grew up playing both codes of rugby throughout his schooling and was introduced to mixed martial arts by a friend after leaving school. == Mixed martial arts career == === Early career === Hooker made his professional mixed martial arts debut in March 2009. He fought primarily in his native New Zealand and amassed a record of 10–4 before joining the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Dan is also a professional kickboxer with a 9–1–3 record, winning the King In The Ring Middleweight Kickboxing Championship and WKBF X-Rules Welterweight Championship. Hooker also has a 3–2 submission grappling record. On 18 October 2009 he took part in the ICNZ Contender Series 1 No-Gi Submission Wrestling Tournament. He beat Thomas Kwok and Bass Khou by guillotine choke and lost to Pumau Campbell on points. He also competed in the New Zealand 2011 No-Gi Nationals, in the Advanced under 77 kg / 170 lbs division, he beat Paul Faavaoga in the first round and lost to LJ Stevenson in the second round. He has also competed in a heavyweight fight, for which he weighed in at 86 kg / 189 lbs, against Mark Creedy, winning by knockout in the second round. He also competed in a heavyweight tag team kickboxing match against Antz Nansen. Hooker has been coaching MMA since 2008, spending time as head coach at City Kickboxing gym in Auckland. In mid 2018 Hooker opened his own gym Combat Academy in Ellerslie, Auckland, a state-of-the-art gym that included a full-sized boxing ring and an octagon. === Ultimate Fighting Championship === ==== 2014 ==== Hooker made his promotional debut against fellow newcomer Ian Entwistle on 28 June 2014 at UFC Fight Night 43. Hooker won the back-and-forth fight via TKO in the first round. Hooker faced Maximo Blanco on 20 September 2014 at UFC Fight Night 52. Hooker lost the fight via unanimous decision. ==== 2015 ==== Hooker faced Hatsu Hioki on 10 May 2015 at UFC Fight Night 65. He won the fight via knockout due to a combination of head kick and punches in the second round. With this win, he became the first man to knock out Hioki in a MMA fight. The win also earned Hooker his first Performance of the Night bonus award. Hooker next faced Yair Rodríguez on 3 October 2015 at UFC 192. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. ==== 2016 ==== In April 2016, Hooker competed in the 2016 Tiger Muay Thai Tryouts in Phuket, and won a place on the professional fight team, along with teammate Dave Leduc. Hooker next faced Mark Eddiva on 20 March 2016 at UFC Fight Night 85. He won the fight with a high-elbow mounted guillotine choke in the first round. Hooker faced Jason Knight on 27 November 2016 at UFC Fight Night 101. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. ==== 2017 ==== Moving up from featherweight to lightweight, Hooker fought Ross Pearson on 11 June 2017 at UFC Fight Night 110. He trained locally in City Kickboxing in Newton, Auckland. He won the fight via knockout in the second round. The win also earned Hooker his second Performance of the Night bonus award. Hooker faced Marc Diakiese on 30 December 2017 at UFC 219 He won the fight via guillotine choke submission in the third round. ==== 2018 ==== Hooker faced Jim Miller on 21 April 2018 at UFC Fight Night 128. He won the fight via knockout in round one. Hooker faced Gilbert Burns on 7 July 2018 at UFC 226. He won the fight via knockout in round one. Hooker faced Edson Barboza on 15 December 2018 at UFC on Fox 31. Hooker lost the fight via TKO. ==== 2019 ==== Hooker faced James Vick on 20 July 2019 at UFC on ESPN 4. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night bonus. Hooker faced former UFC title challenger Al Iaquinta on 6 October 2019 at UFC 243. He won the fight via unanimous decision. ==== 2020 ==== Hooker faced Paul Felder on 23 February 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. Hooker. Hooker won the fight by a controversial split decision. Out of 17 media members, 12 scored it for Felder, and only 4 for Hooker. This fight earned him a Fight of the Night award. Hooker faced returning UFC title challenger Dustin Poirier on 27 June 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. This contest earned him the Fight of the Night award. This bout was widely considered one of the greatest fights of the year, due its back-and-forth bloody exchanges. ==== 2021 ==== Hooker faced former three-time Bellator MMA lightweight champion and UFC newcomer Michael Chandler at UFC 257 on 24 January 2021. He lost the fight via technical knockout in the first round. After the bout, Hooker placed his gloves in the middle of the octagon as a sign of retirement. However, he then clarified that after reconsideration, he would not retire from the sport. Hooker faced Nasrat Haqparast on 25 September 2021 at UFC 266. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Hooker faced Islam Makhachev as a short notice replacement for Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 267. He lost the bout via submission due to a kimura in round one. ==== 2022 ==== Hooker faced Arnold Allen in a featherweight bout on 19 March 2022 at UFC Fight Night 204. He lost the fight via technical knockout in the first round. Hooker faced Claudio Puelles on 12 November 2022 at UFC 281. He won the fight via technical knockout in the second round. ==== 2023 ==== Hooker was scheduled to face Jalin Turner on 4 March 2023 at UFC 285. However, Hooker was forced to withdraw from the event citing a hand injury, and he was replaced by Mateusz Gamrot. Hooker faced Jalin Turner on 8 July 2023 at UFC 290. At the weigh-ins Turner weighed in at 158 pounds, 2 pounds over the non-title lightweight limit. As a result, the bout proceeded as a catchweight and Turner was fined 20% of his fight purse, which went to Hooker. In a back and forth bout, Hooker came out victorious via split decision. Hooker was scheduled to face Bobby Green on 2 December 2023 at UFC on ESPN 52. However, the week before the event, Hooker withdrew due to injury, and was replaced by Jalin Turner. ==== 2024 ==== Hooker fought former KSW Lightweight Champion and KSW Featherweight Champion Mateusz Gamrot on 18 August 2024 at UFC 305. He won the fight by split decision. 8 out of 17 media outlets scored the bout for Hooker. This fight earned him another Fight of the Night award. ==== 2025 ==== Hooker was scheduled to face former UFC Interim Lightweight Champion Justin Gaethje on 8 March 2025 at UFC 313. However, Hooker had to withdraw from the bout due to a hand injury, and was replaced by Rafael Fiziev. Hooker faced Arman Tsarukyan in the main event on 22 November 2025 at UFC Fight Night 265. He lost the fight via an arm-triangle choke submission in the second round. == Personal life == Hooker ran and taught at his own gym, The Combat Academy in Auckland, New Zealand, which he has since closed to focus on his MMA career. In September 2021, Hooker announced that he was relocating to the United States due to problems he experienced with lockdown measures in New Zealand as well as obtaining a work visa to travel to the US from NZ. However, he continues to live and train out of Auckland, New Zealand. On 25 October 2025, Hooker received his Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. == Championships and accomplishments == === Mixed martial arts === Ultimate Fighting Championship Performance of the Night (Three times) vs. Hatsu Hioki, Ross Pearson, and James Vick Fight of the Night (Three times) vs. Paul Felder, Dustin Poirier and Mateusz Gamrot UFC Honors Awards 2020: President's Choice Fight of the Year Nominee vs. Dustin Poirier 2024: President's Choice Fight of the Year Nominee vs. Mateusz Gamrot UFC.com Awards 2015: Ranked #8 Upset of the Year vs. Hatsu Hioki 2020: Ranked #3 Fight of the Year vs. Dustin Poirier & Ranked #5 Fight of the Year vs. Paul Felder 2023: Ranked #6 Fight of the Year vs. Jalin Turner 2024: Ranked #8 Fight of the Year vs. Mateusz Gamrot Australian Fighting Championship AFC Lightweight Championship (One time) Two successful title defenses Supremacy Fighting Championships New Zealand Lightweight Championship MMAJunkie.com 2015 May Knockout of the Month vs. Hatsu Hioki 2020 February Fight of the Month vs. Paul Felder 2020 June Fight of the Month vs. Dustin Poirier ESPN 2024 Most improved === Kickboxing === World Kickboxing Federation WKBF X-Rules Welterweight Championship King in the Ring King in the Ring Middleweight Championship == Mixed martial arts record == == Kickboxing record (incomplete) == == See also == List of current UFC fighters List of male mixed martial artists == References == == External links == Dan Hooker at UFC Professional MMA record for Dan Hooker from Sherdog Home Languages