Dan Hooker has called his shot, and that shot has landed at the feet of Justin Gaethje. Gaethje hasn’t announced plans of fighting after his loss last month to Khabib Nurmagomedov, but Hooker has made his target clear.

Hooker seemed locked on a collision course with Michael Chandler; however, he is seemingly looking for greener pastures in The Highlight’s yard.

“One hundred percent Justin Gaethje. Whenever he wants to go, that’s the fight I want. I feel like Chandler has lost the mystique around him, so it’s that Gaethje fight.

“I feel like that’s the fight that lights a fire under me. You watch him fight, the way he fights, the way he knocks people out, the way he finishes different opponents and you can feel the threat so it makes it very easy to train for when you’re fighting such a dangerous opponent like that.

Hooker also added to the fire of the matchup by promising explosive action if they meet. “But a fighter like Justin Gaethje, that’s an exciting fight to me and that’s an exciting fight for the fans. There’s no way that fight doesn’t deliver.”

Hooker hasn’t fought since a five-round decision loss to Dustin Poirier. While he may be outmatched, this fight would make sense from both sides. Unless Gaethje wants to throw his hat in the ring for the title again.

Dan Hooker confident in his ability

The City Kickboxing fighters have been riding a high, and it is good to see that the Poirier loss didn’t hurt Hooker’s confidence. However, challenging Gaethje is a massive step up considering he just lost. He put up a good fight, but the difference between Hooker and Poirier was evident.

Even if Gaethje is coming off a loss to Khabib, it hasn’t hurt the perception of him as a fighter. Everyone loses to Khabib. Gaethje could feasibly enter the title picture right away and still be ahead of a few names.

But it did look like he was heading towards a small break before returning to the sport. Hooker and Gaethje would be an electric matchup. However, the mountain that Hooker will have to overcome will be quite significant.