Fan favorite lightweight Dan Hooker has confirmed his UFC return for later this summer, although his ideal opponent isn’t keen on the date.
As veteran UFC fighter Dan Hooker looks to extend his winning streak to three in the lightweight division, the hefty tax deductions of fighting in Australia could be forcing out his ideal next opponent before a contract’s even been signed.
Dan Hooker confirms his return is now set for UFC 305 in Perth
Speaking via the Combat TV YouTube channel, UFC lightweight veteran Dan Hooker confirmed that after some initial pushback by the promotion, ‘The Hangman’ will make his long-awaited return at UFC 305 in Perth.
“Obviously, I was trying to get on Perth but for some reason, something was going on behind the scenes when they didn’t want me to fight on that card – they were trying to push me to later.
“There were a couple of different main events that they were talking about later in the year, but I was like ‘I want that date, I want it on Perth’ so I kind of stood my ground on that a bit.”
Hooker revealed that the UFC had been targeting a matchup against #7 ranked Beneil Dariush, but that he would have refused to face his fellow veteran had it been offered for a Fight Night at the UFC Apex.
“They were saying ‘You can wait around and get Beneil Dariush on this card’ but it’s like bro, can you imagine if it’s at the Apex or something – I’d rather shoot myself in the foot than fight at the Apex.
“It’s boring, it’s not why I do it; I do it because I love walking out there in front of 10, 20, 30 thousand people and getting that excitement from the fans.”
MORE BLOODY ELBOW NEWS
UFC 305 is scheduled for August 18 at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, with Hooker noting that he doesn’t care who his opponent is before inadvertently confirming that former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya will also feature on that PPV.
- STYLEBENDER: Israel Adesanya explains the main reason for his return amid UFC 305 rumors
“They said I’ll be on the card, but I just got no idea who I’m fighting. I don’t care if they’re ranked, unranked, higher, lower, left or right – I just want to be on that date… Like Kai’s on it, Izzy’s on there so I just want to have fun with my mates.”
Whilst Hooker might be hoping that Dariush quickly accepts his callout for UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, that matchup appears unlikely after he issued a response to ‘The Hangman’ just a few hours later.
Beneil Dariush pushes back on Hooker’s UFC 305 callout for tax reason
Speaking via the Helen Lee Sports YouTube channel, Dariush first noted that he’s open to the possibility of facing Dan Hooker, especially since he’s one of the few lightweights to have not already faced ‘Benny’ in the octagon.
“Maybe, I got a lot on my plate right now but if I can get it all figured out then maybe… I feel bad because this guy’s been calling me out for so long and normally, I just say yes to people but he’s the one guy I can never seem to get the right schedule with.”
However, Dariush then revealed that he isn’t sold on the idea of fighting Hooker at UFC 305 in Australia due to the infamous tax deductions that are implemented on fighters.
“Maybe we end up doing it in Australia, I love Australia except for the fact that they’re going to tax me like no other – so maybe not, maybe we do it in Vegas or somewhere else.
“The Sphere in September, that would actually be way better because bro, I’m not trying to pay whatever tax amount it is… I don’t remember exactly but it’s something stupid.”
Unfortunately, the hefty tax deductions when fighting in Australia remain a sore spot for fighters, with John Makdessi notably revealing a whopping 45% federal foreign tax out on his total pay after UFC 293; representing a loss of tens of thousands of dollars.
- OUCH: Welterweight contender provides unfortunate injury update amid UFC 305 rumors
“I’m trying to keep my money, I don’t know about Dan, but I want to keep my money, so preferably somewhere like Vegas,” argued Dariush.
The fan-favorite lightweight is yet to make his first appearance of 2024 in the UFC octagon, with his last bout ending in a first-round knockout loss to Arman Tsarukyan in December last year.
- KNOCKOUT: Alex Pereira issues cold response to Jamahal Hill’s recent celebration complaint
Related Topics
Beneil DariushDan HookerLightweightUFC 305
