Dan Hooker

Daniel Preston Hooker, known throughout the sport as “The Hangman,” is a New Zealand mixed martial artist from Auckland who competes across both the lightweight and featherweight divisions in the UFC. Born on February 15, 1990, Hooker is a product of the City Kickboxing stable in Auckland — the same gym that produced Israel Adesanya and Alexander Volkanovski — and developed into one of the division’s most aggressive and technically polished strikers through years of high-level kickboxing competition.

Hooker reached the upper tier of the UFC lightweight division with a string of impressive wins, culminating in a memorable five-round war with Paul Felder in January 2020 and back-to-back wins over Al Iaquinta and Gilbert Burns that pushed him inside the top five. He dropped a close decision to Dustin Poirier in an instant-classic lightweight bout at UFC Fight Night 168 — widely acclaimed as one of the best fights of that year — before returning to featherweight and continuing to compete at a high level against top-ten opposition.

Hooker is defined by his willingness to engage, his variety of striking attacks, and an underrated durability that has seen him weather early adversity and turn fights around. His personality — relaxed, self-deprecating, and deeply proud of his New Zealand roots — has made him a fan favorite at every venue he competes in, and his trajectory through City Kickboxing represents some of the finest athletic development in the sport’s southern hemisphere history.

Stats last updated: September 6, 2026