“Makes Gaethje look like a bum” – Dan Hooker responds to Justin Gaethje’s prediction of getting “merked” by Dustin Poirier

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Saiyed Adeem Karim

Dan Hooker had called out Justin Gaethje for a title fight after the interim champ’s comments

Dan Hooker is in a fighting mood ahead of his clash against Dustin Poirier this weekend. The New Zealand star was on Submission Radio and spoke at length about his plans for the fight.

He also responded to some comments made regarding the fight from Justin Gaethje. The interim Lightweight UFC Champion claimed Hooker would get “merked” by Poirier in the fight.

Dan Hooker is a fighter in the Lightweight division in the UFC
Dan Hooker celebrates his victory over Al Iaquinta of the United States fight in their Lightweight bout during UFC 243 at Marvel Stadium (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)

Hooker then explained why Gaethje made those comments and it stemmed from a loss at the hands of Poirier:

“If someone knocks you out, you obviously want to see them do well and see them succeed. Cause, then it makes you look better.

“If I go out and knock Dustin Poirier out, it kinda makes Gaethje look like a bum. He doesn’t want that.”

Gaethje is the interim champion but he lost one of his early UFC fights to Poirier.

Tony Ferguson lost to Justin Gaethje at UFC 249
Tony Ferguson (R) looks to punch Justin Gaethje (L) in their Interim lightweight title fight during UFC 249 (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)

A close fight is expected

Hooker admitted that his UFC clash against Poirier wouldn’t be easy and claimed there was an equal chance of both stars picking up the win:

“I think its a 50-50 fight, me and Poirier. There is a chance there that he knocks me out or I knock him out and I am prepared for that kind of fight.”

The Kiwi star also explained why Poirier took the fight and that could have been due to the fact that no one else was available.

Hooker was open to the fact that as a fighter, he isn’t the smartest talent out there. The Kiwi star takes fights on short notice when he should avoid them, but he was more than ready to face Poirier.

Dustin Poirier faces Khabib Nurmagomedov in the past
Khabib Nurmagomedov of Russia compete against Dustin Poirier of United States in their Lightweight Title Bout during the UFC 242 event (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)

Hooker believes he could get a title shot if he keeps on winning, even though Khabib Nurmagomedov and Gaethje will meet later for the undisputed UFC lightweight crown.

Poirier vs Hooker is the main event on the latest UFC event, and it should be an amazing fight between two of the most experienced Lightweight stars in the division.

Poirier is a former interim Lightweight Champion. However, he hasn’t been seen in action since losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242 in September 2019.

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