It appears that Dustin Poirier’s long-awaited return to the octagon could soon be set, and against a rising star at lightweight, the Hangman known as Dan Hooker.
It has been less than two weeks since Dan Hooker’s split-decision win over Paul Felder at UFC Auckland. Despite the fight being a war with Hooker taking plenty of damage, he could soon be stepping into the octagon again. According to Mike Bohn of MMAJunkie, Dan Hooker will likely be facing former UFC interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier, in the main event of UFC San Diego. That card is set for May 16.
Dustin Poirier has been itching for a fight on social media for some time now, and it appears that he finally has one. Poirier has been on an amazing run at lightweight ever since his defeat to Conor McGregor at featherweight in 2014. Since moving up to 155lbs, Poirier has gone 9-2, with one no-contest. During this stretch, he has beaten some of the best in the division, with wins over Anthony Pettis, Eddie Alvarez, and Justin Gaethje.
Poirier captured the UFC’s interim lightweight championship with a win over Max Holloway at UFC 236. The win ended Holloway’s 13-fight winning streak and gave Poirier the first championship of his career. Following that win he was matched up with undisputed champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who he would lose to via third-round submission at UFC 242 — losing his interim strap in the process.
Dan Hooker, on the other hand, is also a former featherweight who has been tearing up the division since moving up to 155 pounds. Hooker moved up following a loss to Jason Knight in 2016. He immediately went on a four-fight winning streak with wins over Ross Pearson, Marc Diakiese, Jim Miller, and Gilbert Burns. Hooker would next lose to Edson Barboza but has rebounded with consecutive wins over James Vick, Al Iaquinta, and the aforementioned victory over Paul Felder earlier this year.
