History of Dan Hooker in Timeline
February 1990
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 22 October 2024, he is #6 in the UFC lightweight rankings.
March 2009
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.
October 2009
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.
June 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.
September 2014
Hooker faced Maximo Blanco on 20 September 2014 at UFC Fight Night 52. Hooker lost the fight via unanimous decision.
May 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.
October 2015
Hooker next faced Yair Rodríguez on 3 October 2015 at UFC 192. He lost the fight by unanimous decision.
March 2016
Hooker next faced Mark Eddiva on 20 March 2016 at UFC Fight Night 85. He won the fighting from a high-elbow mounted guillotine choke in the first round.
April 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.
November 2016
Hooker faced Jason Knight on 27 November 2016 at UFC Fight Night 101. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
June 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.
December 2017
Hooker faced Marc Diakiese on 30 December 2017 at UFC 219 He won the fight via guillotine choke submission in the third round.
April 2018
Hooker faced Jim Miller on 21 April 2018 at UFC Fight Night 128. He won the fight via knockout in round one.
July 2018
Hooker faced Gilbert Burns on 7 July 2018 at UFC 226. He won the fight via knockout in round one.
December 2018
Hooker faced Edson Barboza on 15 December 2018 at UFC on Fox 31. Hooker lost the fight via TKO.
July 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.
October 2019
Hooker faced former UFC title challenger Al Iaquinta on 6 October 2019 at UFC 243. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
February 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.
June 2020
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.
January 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.
September 2021
Hooker faced Nasrat Haqparast on 25 September 2021 at UFC 266. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
September 2021
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.
March 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.
November 2022
Hooker faced Claudio Puelles on 12 November 2022 at UFC 281. He won the fight via technical knockout in the second round.
March 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.
July 2023
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.
December 2023
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.
August 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. 9 out of 17 media outlets scored the bout for Gamrot. This fight earned him another Fight of the Night award.
March 08, 2025
Hooker is scheduled to face former UFC Interim Lightweight Champion Justin Gaethje on March 8, 2025 at UFC 313.