Dan Hooker wants to return to UFC competition before the end of the year and has publicly called for two highly ranked names.
Hooker (24-12 MMA, 14-8 UFC) hasn’t seen action since an August 2024 victory over Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305. He’s been dealing with arm and hand injuries, the latter of which forced him to withdraw from a March matchup against Justin Gaethje.
Now on the cusp of his comeback, Hooker took to social media over the weekend and directly called for fights against former champion Charles Oliveira or top-ranked contender Arman Tsarukyan, declaring that “daddy’s home” (via X):
Hooker, 35, is riding a three-fight winning streak against Gamrot, Jalin Turner and Claudio Puelles dating back to November 2022.
Oliveira (35-11 MMA, 23-11 UFC) is coming off a first-round knockout loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 317 in June for the vacant 155-pound title. Tsarukyan, meanwhile, hasn’t fought since he withdrew on weigh-in day from a title fight against then-champ Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 in January.
