UFC veteran Dan Hooker has explained why he was frustrated by his defeat to Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 325.
As we know, Dan Hooker is one of the most entertaining fighters that the lightweight division has seen in years – both in and out of the cage. However, in recent times, he’s fallen to a few harsh defeats against Arman Tsarukyan and Benoit Saint Denis.
While the Tsarukyan loss was widely expected, Hooker’s struggles against BSD had many contemplating his future in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He’s achieved a lot in his career, of course, but he has also sustained a great deal of damage.
In a recent interview, Hooker had the following to say about his setback versus Saint Denis.
Hooker reflects on Saint Denis defeat
“It’s the same as Arman. You’re giving these guys absolute fits on the feet – but yeah, I feel like I hurt BSD to the body, and he just put the pedal down, and I took it off,” Hooker told Submission Radio. “Like, I hadn’t been putting the hours into the gym that I should have been doing, into the boring stuff, into my footwork, into my grappling, into my conditioning. I know exactly what I did wrong, and I was cheating the grind outside of training, outside of fight camp. Doing the same exact work I do outside of fight camp but just cheating the grind when I didn’t have a fight, and that obviously shows head and shoulders when you get out there.
“I feel like that pissed me off more than anything. Arman was a bit different because he is a super talented kid. I feel like he should be fighting for the title. But BSD, that one grinds my gears because losing to people that you’re better than, that really f*cks me off. Even watching tape, I’m better than him. And losing because you’re not putting the same hours into the gym as you should be putting. That didn’t sit well with me. I’m not going to go out there and perform like that again. I’m not going to get beaten by people who are sh*t.”
Quotes via MMA Junkie
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