Daily Covid-19 testing is just one of the big changes Kiwi UFC fighter Dan Hooker is dealing with as he prepares for his first headline event on US soil.
Hooker and three coaches admit they were nervous making the trip to Las Vegas, where he's the feature fight behind closed doors on Sunday.
“As soon as we arrived you can see they are a bit more relaxed than we are about the protocols they’ve put in place, social distancing and all of that,” Hooker’s coach Eugene Bareman said.
“It’s definitely a step down outside of the UFC environment but as soon as you hit the UFC environment it’s pretty strict,” striking coach Mike Angove said.
What’s at stake for Hooker in this fight is not lost on his coaching team with an upset win over American Dustin Poirier potentially earning him a lightweight title shot.
“This is probably the pivotal fight, you get this fight out of the way, you’re talking Khabib (Nurmagomedov), (Justin) Gaethje, Conor McGregor, maybe (Tony) Ferguson, you’re talking one of the biggest names in the sport right now,” Angove said.
“You’re talking Khabib, Gaethje, Conor McGregor, maybe Ferguson, you’re talking one of the biggest names in the sport right now,” Mike Angove said. (Source: Other)
“McGregor, if he comes out of retirement which is likely he’ll want a name opponent, Ferguson has just been beaten, when we beat Poirier that means if Gaethje gets injured you could have a fight for a title against Khabib.”
“It truly is massive in one of the deepest divisions in the UFC.”
“This opens the door to the title really,” Bareman said.
“After this fight you’re a title contender or at least one fight away from it.”
The Aucklander has been busy doing the media rounds, albeit online.
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