Latest news with #DanHooker
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dan Hooker targets Arman Tsarukyan for UFC return: 'I'd just like to kick his teeth in'
LAS VEGAS – Good news for MMA fans: Dan Hooker has a timeline for his octagon return. The fan-favorite UFC lightweight is recovering well from his hand injury and expects to be fighting again sometime in October or November, Hooker told MMA Junkie Radio at UFC X. Hooker was scheduled to fight Justin Gaethje earlier this year at UFC 313 in March, but he fractured his hand in training and was forced to withdraw from the bout. Hokker is almost in the clear, and is eager to fight again. Advertisement "I think I'll be good to go in October, November," Hooker said. "I think Gaethje is just going to sit and wait for another title shot. It would be silly to come and fight another contender, but that's what's so interesting about the division now. The title is moving, and over the next couple of months there's going to be a lot of movement in the division. It's good." Hooker expects Gaethje to sit out and campaign for a title shot against the newly crowned UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, making the re-booking of their fight unlikely, at least for the time being. Ideally, Hooker woould like to fight Arman Tsarukyan, also a top contender in the division. "Arman has been calling me out, and that's the No. 1 contender," Hooker said. "No one likes the guy, so I'd just like to kick his teeth in." Tsarukyan is one of the tougher fights in the division, and considered by many the best grappler in the weight class. When asked why he'd want such a tough stylistic matchup, and likely less exciting than the Gaethje fight, Hooker had quite the response. Advertisement "I don't give a f*ck," Hooker said. "Mine was exciting, the (Mateusz) Gamrot fight, because I was able to get up. If they can just hold you down and make it a boring fight, then that's my fault. But because my counter-wrestling is of that level and people just can't hold me down, and I'm able to scramble up to my feet, that's what makes the fight exciting." This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dan Hooker wants Arman Tsarukyan in return
RNZ News
18-06-2025
- Sport
- RNZ News
Hooker to host female 'battle royal' in backyard
An earlier event that Dan Hooker hosted in his backyard. Photo: youtube UFC fighter Dan Hooker is bringing back his controversial backyard brawls, inviting 32 women to fight it out for $50,000. In a post on his Facebook page alongside former world middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, Hooker called on female fighters to throwdown in his backyard for his second '1 min scraps' event. "Alright, we are going to let the girls play next, we are going to find out who's the baddest b***h in town," Hooker said. Adesanya added the prize up for grabs. "50k, one minute, or just as long as it takes to finish these b*****s in his backyard." Hooker then implied he would be opening the door for criminals to compete. "So what I need from you ladies is your name, your weight and your record, and maybe send me a little video of you doing something illegal so I know I can trust ya." Israel Adesanya and Dan Hooker announcing the 32 women backyard battle royal. Photo: facebook The UFC lightweight courted controversy in May when he hosted his inaugural 32-man, one-minute fist fight tournament. It saw a senior Mongrel Mob member referred to police, as he was wearing an ankle bracelet. The event prompted New Zealand's Boxing Coaches Association president Billy Meehan to call the event "straight-out thuggery". "What you've got there is just thugs getting in there and going out and they're just like absolutely smashing each other and we're going to see somebody get seriously hurt, if not killed." Following the backlash, Hooker went on the on-line combat sport programme the Ariel Helwani Show last month, and vowed to host more events. "There's a few lefties having a sulk, but once everyone watches the full 45 minutes and sees the respect for the fighters, since when did putting gloves on in the backyard and having a punch up become illegal?" he said. "Since when is that a crime?" -RNZ
Daily Mail
05-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Police take action after UFC star Dan Hooker held wild fight event in his own backyard - then blasted 'lefties having a sulk' after shocking footage came to light
UFC star Dan Hooker has helped a senior member of one of New Zealand's most notorious gangs avoid trouble with police after he competed in a wild fight event in his backyard. Hooker put up a $50,000 prize for the 'one-minute scrap' tournament at his Auckland home on May 24, attracting 32 amateur fighters who punched each other on his lawn while his elderly neighbours watched on in disbelief over the fence. One of the fighters, Jon Paul 'Fightdog' Te Rito, was filmed winning fights at the unregulated event, and was referred to police because he was allegedly supposed to be attending a rehabilitation program at the time. Te Rito - who was seen wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet while fighting and is a member of the Mongrel Mob gang - could have broken his bail conditions, a Department of Corrections representative said. The fighter was referred to police over the matter, leading to Hooker stepping in. The 35-year-old wrote a letter supporting Te Rito, claiming the event was a 'platform for self expression, and a healthy outlet to cope with life's pressures'. 'Physical activity is a proven tool to help men overcome mental health issues, such as depression or addiction,' he wrote. 'It can be more productive than an unrelatable counselling session.' Hooker posted his letter to Instagram with the caption, 'Today 'Fightdog' was released from custody. 'The judge ruled his attendance at my event did not breach his bail and he was able to return home.' The post came with a photo appearing to show Hooker and Te Rito's supporters celebrating outside a courthouse. Hooker's event came in for harsh criticism after he released a video of all 30 of the tournament fights on YouTube. New Zealand Boxing Coaches Association president Billy Meehan told Checkpoint the event was 'straight-out thuggery'. 'What you've got there is just thugs getting in there and going out and they're just like absolutely smashing each other, and we're going to see somebody get seriously hurt, if not killed,' Meehan said. 'It's just barbaric, the biggest issue is the people getting in the ring half the time aren't conditioned enough to be there, they aren't matched correctly.' Hooker got his fellow Kiwi UFC star Israel Adesanya to help him promote the event by telling fighters and fans, 'Bring the family, bring the whanau [Māori for extended family], come watch, you'll get knocked out or knock someone the f*** out.' Hooker reacted to the criticism by saying only one fighter got hurt and what happened in his backyard didn't break any laws. 'There's a few lefties having a sulk, but once everyone watches the full 45 minutes and sees the respect for the fighters, since when did putting gloves on in the backyar and having a punch-up become illegal?' he told popular MMA program the Ariel Helwani Show. 'It's being run by some of the most experienced combat sports people in the country. 'I knew everyone would think it was crazy, I knew there would be people who would have issues with it. I wanted it at my house so I could control it. 'There were a couple [of] bumps, a couple [of] scrapes, obviously a few of the boys were run through concussion protocol.' Hooker added that he believes his bouts were safer than boxing because he had a three-second knockdown rule in place and fights were called off if one competitor suffered two knockdowns, leaving the pugs 'a lot less banged up' than if they'd fought over multiple three-minute rounds in the ring. Critics of the backyard brawl-fest have had the opposite of their desired effect, with the lightweight UFC star saying their actions have convinced him to stage another tournament. The Kiwi UFC star (pictured weighing in for a fight last year) has been spurred on to hold more beatdowns in his backyard 'Now you've challenged me. I was going to leave it but now there are people trying to stop me,' he said. 'Now I am honour-bound and forced to pursue it.' Cameron Harcourt, who fought in the event, gave it his full backing. 'We're going to fight anyway,' he said. 'There's fights out in the streets ... if you had beef, you apply for this and you jump in, and it gives us a place to do it in a controlled environment. 'The thuggery is taken out and we've turned it into a sport.'
RNZ News
01-06-2025
- General
- RNZ News
Backyard battles take fighting off street, participant says
Hamilton man Cameron Harcourt (left), with an opponent at the King of the Street event on 24 May. Photo: Supplied A participant in a controversial street fighting competition is defending it, saying amateur tournaments remove violence from the streets. An unregulated tournament promoted by New Zealand mixed martial arts fighter Dan Hooker was held in a suburban Auckland backyard on Saturday 24 May , with 32 combatants competing for a $50,000 prize. Hooker said the only major injury was to a fighter's arm and signalled plans to host further events , despite criticism. New Zealand Boxing Coaches Association president Billy Meehan described the event as "thuggery, not sport", but Hamilton fighter Cameron Harcourt, who travelled up for the event, said the backlash was unfair. "We're going to fight anyway," he said. "There's fights on the streets. "The same way Streetbeefs in America started to get the fights off the streets. If you had beef, you apply for this and you jump in, and it gives us a place to do it in a controlled environment. "The thuggery is taken out and we've turned it into a sport." Streetbeefs is an unregulated American backyard fighting club and You Tube channel, hosting different combat codes. The founders said it was established as a response to more "dangerous forms of street and gun violence". Cameron Harcourt (right) says the Auckland backyard fighting event took violence off the street and put it in a controlled environment. Photo: Supplied Police are investigating one fighter from the Saturday event, who was seen wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet in social media footage of his fight. Harcourt said he wanted to prove that the fights were a fair playing field, and not all about "tattoos and gang affiliations". "Nothing changes what someone is - we're all humans. Doesn't matter about your colour, your size, your age, your background, we're all people and we all bleed. "I think it is a good sport and I love fighting for that." Up to nine different gangs were reportedly represented at the tournament. Fighters had to sign a waiver before taking part, stipulating that involvement was at their discretion. He said, unlike team sports like rugby, he enjoyed how he was the only person accountable, if the fight did not go his way. "You're stuck in a ring with contact and you just feel alive, and it's just sick," he said. "It's also art. "You can create your combos and perform them. It's just a wicked sport." Although billed as an amateur event, it is understood a professional fighter won the tournament. Harcourt hoped to contest a planned tournament in Christchurch later this year. The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) suggests participants of amateur street fighting events will be covered under the scheme, as it did not require details of how injuries occur. An agency spokesperson said the scheme operated on a no-fault basis. "All New Zealanders pay levies in different ways. The money we collect goes into one of our five accounts. "We use each account to cover specific types of injuries. For example, if someone is injured playing sports, the money used to support their recovery is dependent on their individual circumstances." Last year, the cost of active ACC claims for sport and recreation injuries exceeded $1 billion, while accidental injuries in the home and community, which covered injuries from assaults and also concussion, cost more than $2.3 billion. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
30-05-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Dan Hooker plans more backyard fight events despite backlash
Kiwi mixed martial arts fighter Dan Hooker has vowed to stage more backyard fights in future. The UFC lightweight last weekend hosted 32 men at his Auckland home for a 'one-minute scrap' tournament with a $50,000 cash prize. He's just released the full video of the event
