Another wild night of frantic punches fell last Saturday (June 27, 2020) when the UFC on ESPN 12 blew up the roof of the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Several fighters were left licking their wounds after an action-packed night of fighting, including Jason Witt, who was knocked out in just 48 seconds by Takashi Sato (watch it). And Sean Woodson, who was introduced by Julian Erosa (see it again here). But which fighter suffers the worst hangover after the fight, now 48 hours removed from the show?
Dan hooker
Entering his main fight against Dustin Poirier, Hooker was looking for his fourth consecutive victory to put him on top and bring him closer to a lightweight title fight. If not Khabib Nurmagomedov or Justin Gaethje, “The Hangman” eagerly awaited possible clashes against Tony Ferguson or Conor McGregor.
Hooker looked great from the start, pushing the pace and controlling the distance with his range advantage. In fact, “El Hangman” was in full control for the first ten minutes, winning rounds one and two easily after roughing “El Diamante’s” face. Showing the experience and heart of a champion, Poirier turned him around in the last three rounds to do enough to bounce back for a unanimous decision victory.
But the story of the fight was, well, the fight itself. It was an absolute barn, a fight, a war, whatever you want to call it, it was just special. Both men put him on the line, both threw heavy punches, and both ate them anyway. This will be one recorded in the history books as one of the greatest of all time, which was only magnified by the empty arena as every shot could be heard (and felt). Just when you thought a man was about to fall apart, he would come back to life and begin to discharge pure violence.
Despite the loss, Hooker’s actions increased as fans of the fight, like his colleagues, sang his praises after his performance in “Fight of the Year.” In short, “The Hangman” is now welcome at the big dog table.
“Hi everyone, I just got back to the hotel with the boys eating,” Hooker said after the fight. “They left the hospital, everything is fine. Just a couple of points in the eye. Hey, that’s the game we play, don’t worry. It’s just a little setback and I’ll be back! ”
“Credit to Poirier best man at night, with no regrets, no excuses,” he added in the video. “Minor setbacks are not important to me.”
As for who he should face next, a fight against Charles Oliveira seems appropriate given the status of the top 10 at 155 pounds. The Top 4 is out of the question at the moment, Paul Felder is retired and Hooker already has a win over him anyway. Oliveira is at number 7 right now, and it turns out he’s on a seven-fight win streak.
“Do Bronx” may hesitate a bit to sign on the dotted line to fight someone coming from a loss given their recent success. But at the end of the day, it’s the only fight for both men right now.
Unless you have a better idea?
For full UFC results on ESPN 12 and coverage, click here.
