Dan Hooker recently provided his prediction for the upcoming BMF title fight between Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway.
Hooker has been a part of one of the most touted encounters in UFC history with Poirier. The Auckland native picked his former rival as his favorite for the fight, stating why Holloway would struggle to deal with “The Diamond.”
Dan Hooker Predicts Max Holloway vs. Dustin Poirier
Holloway vs. Poirier is set to headline UFC 318 on July 19, which will see the latter bid farewell to MMA. The encounter will be the third in a trilogy between the two, with Poirier winning both previous installments.
These two seasoned warriors locked horns for the first time as featherweights in Holloway’s UFC debut at UFC 143. Poirier racked up a first-round submission victory, nearly snapping Holloway’s arm in half.
After a few more fights at featherweight, “The Diamond” moved to lightweight, making it difficult for the UFC brass to fix their rematch. However, Holloway’s quest for the lightweight gold again set him on a collision course with Poirier.
The rematch between these two took place at UFC 236 after a seven-year gap from their initial fight.
Poirier bagged a unanimous decision victory over Holloway this time at the end of a five-round war. He also claimed the interim lightweight title with this second triumph over “Blessed.”
Almost the entire MMA community is hyped up for the third encounter of this legendary rivalry scheduled for UFC 318.
In a recent interview with Submission Radio, the No. 6-ranked lightweight, Dan Hooker, delved into the depths of this eagerly awaited fight. Hooker put his money on his former rival, Poirier, mentioning how it would be a difficult job for Holloway to defeat him.
He said, “It’s a pretty tall task for Max. He’s already 0-2 (against Poirier), and then he’s obviously coming up in weight again and coming off the back of a pretty bad loss.”
“This is a guy that had never, stats-wise, been dropped before. And in that fight [against Ilia Topuria at UFC 308], being put to sleep, puts a bit of a second guess into you. Tall task”
Hooker also counted Poirier’s home-advantage as a drawback for Holloway. He stated, “It’s Poirier’s last fight. It’s in his hometown… I’d say it’s definitely leaning towards Dustin.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Hooker revealed that he was offered to be the backup fighter for the bout. Unfortunately, he had to turn it down because of his lingering arm injury, which requires a second surgery. It would’ve left him with only nine weeks to recover and be ready for the fight — a timeline that was not possible for Hooker.