Dan Hooker doesn’t mind welcoming new talent to the UFC Lightweight division.
Saladhine Parnasse (23-2) was widely viewed as one of the top non-UFC fighters in the world, a double champion in KSW and highly sought-after free agent. Unfortunately, he’s still fairly unknown to most of the US fanbase, which means Hooker is putting his No. 12 ranking on the line for relatively little divisional gain in return.
There’s a reason most Lightweights weren’t champing at the bit to face “The Lion of Atlas.”
Fortunately, Hooker has been properly financially incentivized to take the risk. He recently revealed to RMC Sport Combat that his UFC Paris main event versus Parnasse will be the best payday of his career, and that he’s therefore happy to keep facing off with hyped UFC newcomers.
“That works for me,” Hooker said of welcoming top talent to the UFC’s Welterweight division. “If they pay me this much money to fight the new kids, then I’ll be fighting the new kids till the day I die … F—king I’ll fight Francis Ngannou for the amount of money they’re paying, so if they give me a bloke that’s going to step on the scale at the same weight as me? Yeah, biggest payday of my career.”
It’s great to hear that a battle-hardened vet like Hooker is being paid well for his services, but the pressure is still on for “The Hangman.” Hooker has lost his last two fights, getting finished by both Arman Tsarukyan and Benoit Saint-Denis in a pair of losses that snapped his previous three-fight winning streak.
If he’s to remain in the Top 15, the 36-year-old has to bounce back here as a major underdog.
