The New Zealander faced
Ultimate Fighting Championship a debutante Salahdine to Parna at the main event of the year
UFC Paris last September and lost by TKO at 2:35 of the first round. Hooker wants to make a quick turnaround and now it’s time to fight Brian Ortega at
UFC Qatar on November 21. “The Hangman” recently opened up about why he is returning to action just 77 days after his last fight.
Dan Hooker says disappointment after losing to Salahdine Parnasse prompted him to take on Brian Ortega at UFC Qatar
Hooker said he was disappointed not to be able to show his progress for the Parnasse fight after a tough training camp. He claims he would have taken more time between fights if he had fought the Frenchman for five rounds. When Hooker fell to Parna with a body blow in the opening frame, he was not seriously injured, hence the short turnaround.
“When you just go out and you can’t really show anything, it’s frustrating,” Hooker told Ariel Helwan. “I put in a really hard training camp, made some pretty big improvements in my consistency and training, and I just didn’t get to show it. … Then I saw that Nolan was equal to Moicano, so I called my manager Ash and said, ‘F*ck, I can definitely beat Brian Ortega.’ I was like, ‘F*ck, he’s old too. I can definitely beat Brian Ortega. The UFC liked the fight, so I got it.
While Hooker (24-15) is on a three-fight skid, Ortega (16-5, 1 NC) has lost four of his last five bouts.
Dan Hooker
explains why he’s going back there right away Brian Ortega just 77 days after his loss at UFC Paris: “When you just come out and you can’t really show anything, it’s frustrating. I had a really hard training camp, made some pretty big improvements in my consistency and training, and I just couldn’t show it. Then I saw Tom Nolan was matched with Moicano, so I called my manager Ash and said, “F***, I can definitely win Brian Ortega.’ I thought, “Damn, he’s old too. I can definitely win.”
Brian Ortega.’ The UFC liked the fight, so I got it.— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani)
November 4, 2026
