Dan Hooker

Daniel Preston Hooker, known throughout the sport as "The Hangman," is a New Zealand mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division of the UFC.

A native of Auckland, Hooker was introduced to combat sports as a young man after watching a friend win a fight, a moment that pulled him away from working as a doorman in the city and into full-time training. He turned professional in 2009 and spent several years building his record on the New Zealand and Australasian circuit, training alongside a tight-knit group of local strikers before signing with the UFC in 2014.

Before establishing himself on the world stage, Hooker collected regional hardware that speaks to his all-around skill set, including the King in the Ring middleweight kickboxing title, the WKBF X-Rules welterweight championship, the Australian Fighting Championship lightweight title and the Supremacy FC South Pacific lightweight championship. He has also earned a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, underscoring a ground game that complements his striking.

Hooker fights out of the City Kickboxing gym in Auckland, a camp built around a sharp, kickboxing-based striking system, and he pairs that stand-up pedigree with opportunistic submission grappling, a combination that gave rise to his nickname as he became known for closing out fights with chokes.

Hooker built his UFC reputation as one of the division's most exciting attractions, collecting multiple Fight Night and Performance Night bonuses along the way. His 2020 clash with Dustin Poirier, an instant classic that went the distance and was hailed as one of the finest fights of that year, remains a defining showcase of his willingness to engage in wars. He also delivered memorable outings against Paul Felder and Al Iaquinta, bouts that reinforced his standing as a fan favorite.

As a product of City Kickboxing's rise and one of the most recognizable Kiwi fighters in UFC history, Hooker has come to represent New Zealand's growing footprint on the global MMA stage, remembered as much for his fight-first mentality as for the skill that has carried him through the sport's toughest division.