UFC champ Alexander Volkanovski talks about a potential fight with close mate Dan Hooker
They’ve shared shoeys together, so what chance Alex Volkanovski and Dan Hooker fight? The champ says he’s open to it – in fact he welcomes it.
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Despite disappearing deep into a Las Vegas bender together, Alexander Volkanovski says he is open to fighting close mate Dan Hooker for the UFC featherweight title, saying: “This is sport, we’re not actually trying to kill each other”.
After five years fighting in the UFC lightweight division, 32-year-old Hooker returns to featherweight this Sunday to face rising Englishman Arnold Allen at UFC London.
Should the New Zealand favourite beat his British rival, who is not only ranked 7th in the division but undefeated in eight UFC appearances, he could then be just one more win, maybe two, from a featherweight title shot.
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Of course, that would pitch Hooker into a showdown with close mate and regular training partner Volkanovski – with whom he famously did more than a couple of shoeys after they both enjoyed wins at UFC 266 last September.
So as for Volkanovski being happy to fight him?
“That’s not how I’m looking at things,” the champ said Friday morning after training at his Windang gym, where he is currently preparing for his own UFC 273 title defence against Chan Sung Jung.
“And the only reason I’m even thinking about it now is that you’ve asked.
“Personally, that’s a bridge I’ll cross when we come to it.
“I have a fight coming up.
“Dan has a fight this weekend. And would probably need some more after that.
“But if he makes it to a title fight? Great.
“I wouldn’t thinking about it like ‘shit, I have to fight Dan’. I’d be happy for him that he’s into a title fight.
“That’s how I look at it.
“And I know it’s how he looks at things too.
“You have to remember, this is sport. We’re not actually trying to kill each other.
“And if I have a friend fight against me for the title, that’s better than some random bloke.
“I’d rather my friend get that shot because it means they’re doing well.”
Dan Hooker made weight✅ pic.twitter.com/SK21ClxvKt
— The highlight 🻠(@thehighlightMMA) March 18, 2022
Volkanovski did concede however that, because of his relationship with Hooker, he was treating any potential showdown differently to other UFC featherweights.
“The fact I’m not thinking about a fight with Dan, I don’t say that about my other competitors,” he continued. “Because I do have an eye on them.
“With Arnold Allen, I’m already (watching his fights) going ‘OK, what would I do with that? What would I do there?’.
“But with Dan, I don’t want to look it at that way, so I’m choosing not to.”
Asked how he expected Hooker to perform on his return to featherweight, especially following questions over how he would handle the weight cut, the UFC featherweight champ continued: “I know (the cut) used to be bad.
“I would watch him and think ‘man, how does he do this?’.
“But Dan keeps himself at such a good weight now.
“And he’s done it already.
“He did a test cut and did it easily. So I think he has no dramas.
“Although don’t get me wrong, it’s a valid point,
“It’s a big cut. And he’s a big lightweight.
“So you can see why that question will be asked.
“Is he going to be lacking in the lead up because of dieting? Is his performance in the gym being hindered?
“But I don’t think it is.
“And he’s eating good from what I can see.”
What about the suggestions on social media that he looks a little drawn in fight week?
“Oh man, how many times have you seen fighters look like that, then they go out and kick arse?” Volkanovski shrugged.
“I know how professional Dan is. And if he goes out and kicks arse this weekend, all that talk is forgotten.”
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Originally published as UFC champ Alexander Volkanovski talks about a potential fight with close mate Dan Hooker
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