UFC lightweight contender Dan Hooker has shared some details on the arm injury that unfortunately forced him out of his upcoming matchup with Bobby Green.
“The Hangman” last fought when he took a split decision over Jalin Turner on the main card of UFC 290. That lightweight contest turned out to be one of the event’s most exciting bouts, but even though he got the win the New Zealander walked away with a number of injuries that included a broken arm and orbital bone.
Hooker was scheduled to return against Green in five-round co-main event bout at a UFC Fight Night on December 2 before it was revealed he’d broken his arm again, and during an appearance on Submission Radio the 33-year-old explained how the injury occurred.
“It broke in the same place,” Hooker said. “I took a risk, I obviously come back a little quicker than – yeah, it’s all on me. I rushed to come back, I wanted to fight and I knew the risk of coming back that quickly…I’ve blocked a thousand kicks in the last couple of months, and this one hit on the right spot.”
Currently sitting at #9 in the UFC lightweight rankings, Hooker has won back-to-back fights after he briefly returned to the featherweight division last year and was stopped by Arnold Allen in the first round.
Hooker was obviously dealing with a range of emotions while discussing his injury the day after it occurred, but one thing he did make sure to reiterate was that the decision to return in December was entirely on him.
“Everyone was kinda kicking the can down the road and telling me to wait, and I pushed it. I hurried it along, I forced it. It’s on me. I’m just hungry, you know what I mean? It happened again. It’s like the double-edged sword of being obsessed with something. Sometimes you hold on so tight that you crush it.”
Losing the Hooker vs. Green matchup was a significant blow just weeks out from the UFC Fight Night event in Austin, but the card does still feature a lightweight main event between Beneil Dariush and Arman Tsarukyan as well as quite a few other intriguing matchups.
A number of fighters were quick to throw their names into the mix as potential replacement opponents for Green, and it remains to be seen whether “King” will take on a short-notice opponent after he missed out on a chance to continue climbing the lightweight rankings against Hooker.
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