Dan Hooker has what every mixed martial artist between 145 and 185 pounds dreams of. And that is a chance to enter the octagon with megastar Conor McGregor! After all, despite his three-year absence from the octagon, ‘Mystic Mac’ remains by far the biggest fighter in the sport. And a bout with him often means the biggest paycheck of their opponents’ lives, a phenomenon the MMA community calls ‘red panty night.’

And McGregor, of course, confirmed just last night after the BKFC 12 card in Spain that he is looking to fight Hooker in February ’25 in Saudi Arabia. However, it seems ‘The Hangman’ despite the Dubliner’s offer, is seriously considering a clash with #3 ranked lightweight Justin Gaethje.

“I mean I’m good to go… I don’t think there’s a fight fan on the face of the planet that doesn’t want to see me and Justin Gaethje kick it up. So that’s another incredible option that I have there. And I’d love any of those fights, there’s not a fighter on the face of the world that I would turn down. So to have two of those names be on the front of my list- McGregor and Justin Gaethje are exciting times. I’m looking forward to getting it back to New Zealand, getting in the gym.. and knocking out one of these fighters by the end of the year,” Hooker told ‘Submission Radio’ in an interview.

Gaethje’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz has said that he wants to see ‘The Human Highlight’ fight ‘The Hangman’ next year. And while a McGregor fight would be a big commercial event, a clash with Gaethje will undoubtedly do more for his standing in the division, perhaps even put him in a position to fight for the title next. Of course, even if Hooker and McGregor both agreed to fight in February, it would still mean naught if the UFC’s head honcho Dana White refuses to make that match-up.

Michael Chandler standing in the way of potential Conor McGregor vs. Dan Hooker clash

Against Who and when Conor McGregor makes his comeback is a decision that must go through the UFC’s top brass. After all, the Irishman had been calling for a December return on the UFC’s last PPV card of 2024 but was denied by President Dana White. And it seems unlikely White will indeed matchup ‘Mac’ against a young dynamic striker like Hooker over say, a Michael Chandler or a Dustin Poirier or even a Gaethje, who will probably sell more PPVs.

Michael Chandler, who was set to be McGregor’s comeback opponent for over a year, got tired of waiting and finally moved on. He will, of course, now fight Charles Oliveira in November. But, in a recent interview, he claimed that while McGregor may not be his next opponent, he is the Irishman’s next opponent. And if that is indeed true, it means the UFC has plans for ‘The Notorious’ to fight around mid-2025.

Of course, that may change and Hooker might well find himself as McGregor’s next opponent. And if the offer is made by the UFC, ‘The Hangman’ would be smart to jump on it, mostly because of the money and increase in star power it would lead to. But Hooker is one of those guys who fights for the love of it, and the fact that defeating Gaethje may put him next for a title shot may well convince him to fight the American. Who do you think Hooker should face next?