Hooker Says Retirement Questions Are Fair

Dan Hooker understands why people are asking whether he should still be fighting at this level.

Two consecutive losses to top lightweight contenders have put Hooker in familiar territory. Michael Chandler used him as a springboard at UFC 157, stopping him in the first round before going on to fight for the vacant lightweight title. It took Hooker years to rebuild his standing in the division afterward. Hooker thinks the questions people are raising about his future are entirely fair.

"You take a couple of losses, you gotta prove your spot in the division. You gonna sit there and take it personal or offended? It's just a natural life cycle of a fighter and I feel like people should ask questions. I feel like you take a couple of losses, people should start questioning, 'Should he be facing this level of competition? Should he be looking to hang it up?' Because what are we gonna do? Let a guy get his a-- kicked like ten times and everyone goes, 'Yeah, credit to you, still a legend,” Hooker

Hooker has also been candid about what went wrong in the period leading up to his recent setbacks. Earlier this year, he admitted to coasting in training camps — drinking every day during one of them — in a way that compromised his preparation. The Saint Denis loss in February, his second consecutive defeat to a top-ten lightweight, followed a three-fight win streak that had rebuilt his credibility. The pressure is now on Hooker to perform.