Dan Hooker has a strategy when identifying potential opponents for an upcoming fight: how high up the rankings can I go?
This time around the eleventh-ranked lightweight Hooker has landed on California native Jalin Turner, a fighter currently in the midst of a five-fight win streak at 155-pounds — with each of those coming by finish before the end of the second round. Turner, 27, is one of the more highly regarded graduates from the Dana White Contender Series, which recently crowned its first official UFC champion when Jamahal Hill outgunned Octagon veteran Glover Teixeira in Rio de Janeiro late last Saturday night.
Hooker, though, is an adept finisher himself, winning 18 of his 22 victories inside the distance and has a deserved reputation for engaging in some of the more memorable wars seen inside a UFC cage in recent years — something which once again appears to be on the menu when he fights Turner in just over one month’s time.
“It’s March 4, Las Vegas, UFC 285 — the Jon Jones card. I’m fighting Jalin Turner. Top ten baby!” said Hooker to Oscar Willis of The Mac Life when announcing the bout.
Hooker explained that the genesis of the fight can be traced back to a social media exchange as the New Zealand native attempted to identify his next challenge.
“Just fishing with dynamite really,” he said of how the fight came about. “I think I said that he turned the fight down and he was like, ‘Hey man, I didn’t turn the fight down’. Well let’s fight then. And it worked. He’s in the top ten. I think everyone knows me, I try to target the best guy. I try to target the highest person up that you possibly can, and that’s Jalin Turner. It’s a good fight; eleven versus ten — get myself back in the top ten. It’s exciting.”
For Turner, the fight may have a sense of Deja Vu about it. His last fight saw him defeat another City Kickboxing veteran in Brad Riddell, while he has also fought and defeated two Australians during his current five-fight win streak: Jamie Mullarkey and Joshua Culibao, the latter of which took place close to Hooker home in Aukland, New Zealand.
And Hooker says he knows full well what to expect when the cage door shuts in Las Vegas in early March.
“I’ve obviously seen him compete against guys I know for a few years. He’s a very talented fighter, a good finisher. I’m excited to get out there.”
UFC 285 takes place in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March 4 and is slated to be headlined by a bout for the vacant heavyweight title between the returning Jon Jones and Ciyrl Gane.
