UFC 305 Report: Dan Hooker Returns against Top Lightweight Contender in Australia

Hooker on his next fight: "S***'s about to go down..."

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

It looks like Dan Hooker may finally get his wish.

UFC 299 Free Fight: Dustin Poirier vs. Dan Hooker in ‘Fight of the Year’ Contender

The UFC fan-favorite from New Zealand has been searching for a fight atop UFC 305, with the event taking place in Perth, Australia next month on Aug. 17 (Aug. 18 locally), but Hooker hasn't had much luck in finding an opponent - that is, until now.

Lightweight Contenders Collide!

According to a report from MMA Junkie, a lightweight matchup between Hooker and #5-ranked Mateusz Gamrot is currently in the works for UFC 305.

"S***'s about to go down," Hooker posted on his personal Instagram story on Thursday. (h/t: @realkevink on X).

🚨BIG NEWS🚨

Dan Hooker posted via his personal instagram 👀 pic.twitter.com/L625WBCVEa

— Kevin (@realkevink) July 12, 2024

Gamrot Going For His Fourth Win In A Row

Since falling short of title contention against Beneil Dariush at UFC 280, Gamrot (24-2) has fought down the ladder three times, beating the likes of Jalin Turner, Rafael Fiziev, and most recently former champion Rafael dos Anjos by decision at UFC 299.

UFC Lightweight Mateusz Gamrot fighting Rafael dos Anjos. / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

With an impressive 7-2 record in the promotion, Poland's Gamrot had said after his last fight he'd want a Top 5 opponent next, but "Gamer" will instead settle for a fight with #11-ranked Hooker. With a win here, Gamrot should be that much closer to reaching title contention again.

What About Hooker?

Hooker has shown he can hang with the best in the world, cracking the Top 5 rankings once back in 2020. However, Hooker wouldn't stay there for long, as he gave it all he had in a memorable war of attrition against Dustin Poirier before losing another fight against a debuting Michael Chandler the following year.

Riding back-to-back wins over Claudio Puelles and Jalin Turner, "Hangman" began his campaign to fight at UFC 305 weeks ago and while Perth, Australia isn't home to the Kiwi, he'll be among friends and teammates as Israel Adesanya and Kai Kara-France are also set to compete on the card.

UFC Lightweight Dan Hooker fighting Jalin Turner. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

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