ABU DHABI – Dan Hooker is looking forward to sharing the dais with his light-weight teammates at the UFC 257 press conference, but he hopes he won’t be embarrassed in the process.
Before Saturday’s pay-per-view event, Hooker (20-9 MMA, 10-5 UFC) is expected to attend a pre-fight press conference on Thursday with his main event co-opponent Michael Chandler (21- 5 MMA, 0-0 UFC), as well as headliners Dustin Poirier (26-6 MMA, 18-5 UFC) and Conor McGregor (22-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC).
Press conferences involving McGregor tend to be highly eventful, and history shows that no one is safe from the verbal attack of the bold Irishman. Hooker said he is looking forward to seeing what unfolds.
“To be honest, I’m a fan of the sport – it will be quite surreal to be sitting with these guys at a press conference as big as this one,” Hooker told MMA Junkie on Sunday. “I don’t think about it much. I’m not a guy who’s going to practice my lines in the mirror or anything. I will accept it as it comes. Ninety-nine percent of the focus will be on Conor and what he is going to do and what he is going to say. “
Hooker is never ashamed to get involved in some pranks and, although he is not McGregor’s opponent at UFC 257, he knows he must be ready for anything from “The Notorious”.
“You have to be alert,” said Hooker. “You don’t want to know ‘Who is that guy’s (expletive)?’ or something like this. He could throw you in the can in a row. “
Although Hooker is on the same stage as Poirier and McGregor, his focus is naturally on the fight in question. He said he hopes to see what Chandler three-time Bellator champion is when they share the octagon, and thinks it’s a fight that will reveal a lot about him and his opponent.
“It will be pretty obvious because the game is pretty obvious,” said Hooker. “He needs to put me on my back, he needs to support me and get in. If he can’t do it and can’t do it early on, he’ll start having problems. I think that at the end of the first round it will be very clear how this fight will unfold. “
UFC 257 takes place on Saturday, January 23, at Etihad Arena, on Yas Island. The main card will air on ESPN + pay-per-view after the preliminaries on ESPN and ESPN +.