Dan Hooker has successfully built a massive professional career by welcoming some of the biggest global stars into the UFC. The New Zealander firmly believes undefeated sensation Usman Nurmagomedov will officially join the premier promotion shortly. The veteran lightweight desperately wants to serve as the inaugural opponent to spoil the Russian star’s highly anticipated professional debut. This massive potential clash represents much more than a routine athletic challenge for the veteran contender.
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Hooker views this potential matchup as a rare opportunity to directly attack the legendary legacy built by Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev. Those legendary champions formally established the dominant Dagestani grappling style at the absolute pinnacle of mixed martial arts.
“Once Khabib and Islam move on, was for Usman to come into the UFC,” he told Submission Radio. “You know, it’s no coincidence that his PFL contract, that Islam goes up and then Usman’s contract like ran out. It’s the legacy.
“So yeah, like that would be the exciting thing for me with that fight, is, you know, like I get another chance. You would get another chance to step in there and go up, go up against the legacy.”
Usman, the current PFL lightweight champion, is a free agent and has been extensively linked with a move to the UFC. There hasn’t been an official announcement, but Dan Hooker believes the timing is too good to ignore. And if the UFC does sign the 28-year-old, ‘The Hangman’ knows precisely what he wants.
“Like going to a guy’s hometown and ruining his debut in his hometown, like that feels pretty… that puts a little fuzzy feeling in my stomach,” he continued in the interview. “Like getting an opportunity to get one down against the board, against the greatest legacy in our sport, would give me a very fuzzy feeling.”
It would also be an ideal match for Dan Hooker’s current professional path. The 24-fight UFC veteran has frequently shown a willingness to take on dangerous assignments that other ranked competitors would be unlikely to undertake.
The 24-fight UFC veteran consistently accepts incredibly dangerous assignments that other ranked competitors actively avoid. Hooker is currently navigating a two-fight losing streak and aims to rebound violently at the upcoming UFC Paris event. He is officially scheduled to face former KSW two-division champion Salahdine Parnasse in a highly anticipated main event. The organization heavily compensated him to accept this incredibly dangerous international assignment.
The 36-year-old understands exactly why the UFC assigned him the task of taking on the debutant. In his eyes, Parnasse is basically jumping the line at lightweight, but Dan Hooker isn’t complaining, especially after learning how much he’ll be paid for accepting the matchup.
“By a country mile, baby. By a country mile,” Hooker told Ariel Helwani when asked whether Salahdine Parnasse represents the biggest payday of his career. “My manager Ash told me how much money it was and I said, ‘Vive la Paris! Vive la France!’ and I love it. I’ve never been to France.”
If Dan Hooker gets past ‘Lion of Atlas,’ he expects another dangerous newcomer could be waiting. And once again, he believes he will be the man willing to take the risk.
Hooker doesn’t expect Ilia Topuria to welcome Usman Nurmagomedov
There has already been plenty of speculation about who could welcome Usman Nurmagomedov to the UFC if he signs with the promotion. One name that has naturally entered the conversation is former two-division champion Ilia Topuria.
However, Dan Hooker isn’t buying it. ‘The Hangman’ believes Ilia Topuria and the majority of the other ranked lightweights would have little incentive to risk their positions against an unranked fighter making his professional debut, especially one with Nurmagomedov’s undefeated record and reputation.
“Who’s a better welcoming party?” Hooker told Submission Radio. “It was the same thing with Chandler; it’s the same thing with this Parnasse guy and it will be the same thing with Usman.
“No one else will take the fight. People are like, ‘Usman’s gonna come in and fight Ilia Topuria.’ Be serious, you think Ilia Topuria is gonna take the risk of fighting an unranked, non-UFC fighter?”
The veteran contender has previously served as the exact gatekeeper required for high-profile promotional debuts. He famously welcomed former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler to the promotion at UFC 257 in a highly publicized matchup. Hooker completely recognizes himself as the most logical organizational choice to face the dangerous Russian newcomer. His primary path requires beating Parnasse in France before demanding the blockbuster matchup against Nurmagomedov.
The global mixed martial arts community will closely monitor these massive lightweight developments as the 2026 UFC calendar progresses into September.