In case anyone doubts Dan Hooker’s motivation for stepping in on short notice to fight feared top-five lightweight Islam Makhachev at UFC 267, ‘The Hangman’ wants the matchup bumped up to a five-round fight.
“Let’s make it 5 rounds?” Hooker suggested on Twitter.
Hooker is just four weeks removed from his unanimous decision win over Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266 and will look to spring back into title contention with a win over Makhachev on Oct. 30.
Makhachev, too, will look to enter the title mix with a victory over Hooker next Saturday. The Dagestani, who trains under the tutelage of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, is one of the most highly touted prospects in the lightweight division. Makhachev is on an eight-fight win streak with standout victories over Gleison Tibau, Thiago Moises, and Drew Dober.
UFC 267: Blachowicz vs. Teixeira is scheduled to take place on Oct. 30 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.