Dan Hooker said he’d love to fight Al Iaquinta in Australia. The prospect is on fire after his enormous win on “UFC on ESPN 4”.
Iaquinta responded to Hooker’s “Who wants it?” tweet.
Hooker (18-8 MMA, 8-4 UFC) then said the UFC told him that Iaquinta (14-5-1 MMA, 9-4 UFC) turned down the fight. Iaquinta said that wasn’t true.
“He keeps saying he wants it; I said that’s the fight to make,” Hooker told MMA Junkie. “If I’m lying, the fight would be booked already.”
“Iaquinta is not taking the fight; I’ll fight (Alexander) Hernandez,” Hooker said.
Hernandez beated Francisco Trinaldo via unanimous decision at “UFC on ESPN 4”.
"I feel like Al Iaquinta is the perfect opponent for that kind of card."@danthehangman accepts @ALIAQUINTA's challenge to fight at UFC 243 (via @arielhelwani) pic.twitter.com/FNZaa1cdbY
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) July 22, 2019
Hooker, who competed on the same card, defeated James Vick via first-round knockout, earning a “Performance of the Night” bonus.
Hooker wants to be on the UFC 243 card in Melbourne, Australia, regardless of who he fights.
“I’m going to be in Melbourne anyway, so I may as well have a fight,” Hooker said. “I felt good. That’s three of my last four fights that have been first-round knockouts. I have no idea why Iaquinta keeps leading the fans about fighting on the card, but the UFC is telling me it’s not happening. I’m indifferent. If he’s busy, I’ll move on. No tire kickers, please.”
