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Dan Hooker eyes Adesanya v Whittaker undercard after 'most satisfying' win of UFC career

July 23, 2019

Hooker went down to Edson Barboza earlier this month. (Source: Other)

Much like Dan Hooker's return to the octagon, the Kiwi UFC fighter isn't mucking around about looking for his next fight.

Hooker made an impressive return on Sunday when he collected a first round knockout win against James Vick with a left hook that instantly dropped the Texas native.

It came after an eight month hiatus due to his rough loss to Edson Barboza, but that just made the win even sweeter.

"That meant a lot to me,"  Hooker said post-fight. "That was probably the most satisfying win of my career, not just for myself."

"That last fight, to me, I can brush that off pretty easily. All the physical damage and stuff, that’s just something I accepted, so that’s not a big deal to me. But the people around me that watch it – family, friends, my wife – they’re the ones that I feel like they needed a win like that.

"They needed a big win. That was for all of them rather than for myself."

Hooker has already moved on and has his sights set on featuring at UFC 243, which is headlined by the trans-Tasman middleweight clash between UFC champions Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker.

The Kiwi even knows who he wants to face.

"I feel like (Al) Iaquinta's the one that makes sense,” Hooker said. "That name definitely stands out to me. Yeah… meet me in Australia. Get him on a plane."

Iaquinta, a New Jersey native, is currently ranked sixth in the UFC lightweight division. Vick was ranked 15th.

After Hooker tweeted out his interest to be part of UFC 243, it appears Iaquinta heard his call out and responded with interest of his own.

UFC 243 is set to take place on October 6 and while it is assumed a venue in Australia will host it, nowhere has been finalised yet.

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