- 'The Hangman' headlines UFC Fight Night 168 in his native New Zealand against Paul Felder on Sunday
- Just eight years ago he was working in a kitchen factory, pondering his future in MMA
Dan "The Hangman" Hooker has revealed it was a surprise telephone call from Hong Kong that set his career on a path that now has him poised to challenge the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor at the top of the UFC's lightweight division.
It came on a Saturday night in 2012 when the New Zealander was pondering his future as he tried to combine his passion for MMA with the harsh realities of having to earn a living wage. The little matter of the latter meant Hooker's days were spent carving out marble slabs in a kitchen factory while he slotted in the hours he needed to train whenever he possibly could.
Then the phone rang. And then there was no turning back.
"I got the call about the contract on Saturday and on Monday I went in and told my boss I was done," Hooker says. "I told him I had this incredible opportunity and I couldn't work any more. I was fighting for 1,000 bucks and I thought 'What? They're gonna pay me 1,000 bucks?' But I soon learned you can't eat for two months off 1,000 bucks. I don't know what I was thinking."
Hooker ended up fighting twice for what was the first incarnation of the recently relaunched Hong Kong-based Legend FC promotion, going 1-1 before continuing to hone his craft in New Zealand and Australia and then becoming among the first trickle of Australasian talent to sign with the UFC.
That trickle has now become a torrent.
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"It was a huge deal for us at the time but I never imagined the transition from that to headlining in the UFC," Hooker says. "There were no Kiwis in the UFC back then. Now look.
"It's crazy because I have been there from the start. You know combat sports have always been massive in New Zealand and they've always been part of the culture, but I've seen this whole wave come through, from fighting on the smaller shows to joining the UFC and now to be headlining. It's pretty surreal to me."
On Sunday in Auckland the now 30-year-old and seventh-ranked Hooker (19-8) faces sixth-seeded American Paul "The Irish Dragon" Felder (17-4) as the headliner on the 13-bout Fight Night 168 card that features eight fighters from Down Under.
Win and Hooker firmly believes the UFC will throw him at one of the biggest names in a division overloaded with talent. The line ahead of him leading to reigning champ Nurmagomedov (28-0) reads like a future Hall of Fame list with the likes of "Notorious" McGregor (22-4), Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier (25,6, one no contest), and Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone (36-14, one no contest).
"I am thoroughly aware of the opportunity that is being presented in front of me," he says. "The winner of this fight gets a top five opponent, and the lightweight division of the UFC is the most stacked division in the sport.
"So to go into that with a three-fight win streak would be a powerful play for me. I'm looking forward to getting the win and I'm looking forward to getting one of these big wigs in the division."
Talk to the man for any length of time and you get the impression he still can't quite believe what's going on around him.
"The last few weeks have been pretty crazy with the energy in the gym," Hooker says. "Having everyone come in, family and friends, to watch the training sessions has made things a lot more real to the people around me.
"Watching it from overseas on TV is a bit different. It's different for them seeing me walk into the cage every day. Man, I couldn't be any more blessed."
Hooker is promising fireworks on Sunday which pretty much goes with his territory " 10 of his 19 wins have come via knockout " and that of the visiting American, a 34-year-old veteran who matches that record with 10 KOs of his own.
Both fighters know what's at stake " and have been almost reverential towards each other during Fight Week in Auckland.
Expect that to change as the pressure builds with so much on the line.
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