Dan Hooker isn’t warming up for UFC 325 quietly. With a co-main event against Benoit Saint Denis looming, the New Zealander has turned his media rounds into something closer to an airing of grievances, especially when Paddy Pimblett’s name came up.

And after UFC 324, Hooker believes the conversation is more about credibility than hype. When asked about Pimblett’s showing against Gaethje during a recent interview, ‘The Hangman’ didn’t bother with analysis.

“Dog s—. Dog s—,” he said. The critique was blunt, but the reasoning followed quickly. Pimblett, in Hooker’s eyes, talks endlessly and then folds when the moment turns on him.

“He talks an awful lot of sh– for someone that fights like that,” Hooker added. “If the only thing coming out of that fight is that you got a good chin… coming from experience, you fought like s—.”

Last Saturday night, Justin Gaethje dragged Pimblett into deep waters and battered him across five rounds. The scorecards told the story of sustained control, and for Hooker, that gap is the difference between entertaining and elite. Then Hooker escalated.

He painted ‘The Baddy’ not just as overmatched, but as someone who hides when confronted. “Is that common knowledge that he talked s— about Conor McGregor and then Conor McGregor drove around to his house?” Hooker asked.

According to him, McGregor allegedly showed up outside Pimblett’s place, called him out, and Pimblett refused to step outside. “That tells you all you need to know about a guy.”

It’s a story that’s been floating around since 2022, when Conor McGregor was in Liverpool, and rumors spread about a confrontation tied to online trash talk. Pimblett has denied it ever happened at his home, saying the commotion was elsewhere and that he never had a face-to-face with McGregor. He’s even claimed he would’ve welcomed it, or at least turned it into content.

The truth remains murky. But Dan Hooker’s point wasn’t about verification. It was about optics. Their feud ignited after Pimblett made a crude remark involving Hooker’s mother to criticize his grappling. The Kiwi fighter responded by invoking a deceased friend of Pimblett’s, an exchange that crossed lines and ensured there would be no love lost between them

That does add a layer to ‘The Hangman’s critique. It also reflects a wider sentiment among veterans who watched UFC 324 and saw a fighter with charisma but limited answers once Gaethje turned up the heat. However, Dan Hooker now has to turn his attention back to Benoit Saint Denis, and despite the matchup screaming chaos on paper, he doesn’t think this one turns into a reckless firefight.

Dan Hooker is preparing for a “smart” game plan by Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 325

‘The Hangman’ believes Saint Denis will do the opposite of what fans expect. Speaking to MMA Junkie ahead of UFC 325, he suggested the Frenchman would lean into strategy rather than bravado.

“Smart money would say he’s going to try and take me down,” Hooker said, breaking down the likely chess match. “Fights are generally dictated by who can press who against the cage or who can stay out in the open. I obviously want to stay out in the open and keep it on my feet.”

Hooker expects him to fight smart, push the action to the cage, look for control, and drag the fight into positions where he has the edge. In his eyes, “I don’t think that he’s going to come all this way to stand in the pocket and swing punches with me. I don’t think that’s a very smart move to do, and I calculate him as a very smart man.”

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That assessment lines up with ‘God of War’s recent run. He showed sharp wrestling and positional discipline when he shut down Mauricio Ruffy and secured a second-round submission last September. Hooker, meanwhile, is coming off a quick submission loss of his own to Arman Tsarukyan, which only sharpens his awareness of grappling danger.

Now, Dan Hooker has his own proving ground. Benoit Saint Denis won’t care about stories, rumors, or bravado. He’ll care about positions, pressure, and punishment. Come Saturday, this will no longer be about Conor McGregor pulling up to Paddy Pimblett’s house or even Pimblett’s first Octagon loss. It’ll be about Hooker proving his own relevance among the lightweight elite.