Dan Hooker’s bid to move into UFC lightweight title contention was cut down in quick time by Russian sensation Islam Makhachev in Abu Dhabi.
Hooker lasted all of two minutes and 25 seconds at UFC 267 as Makhachev cruised to a first-round submission victory, in what was the fifth-ranked fighter’s ninth-straight win to improve to 21-1.
Hooker (21-11), ranked sixth in the division, accepted the bout on just 35 days notice after Makhachev’s original opponent, Rafael dos Anjos, withdrew due to injury.
The Kiwi had only just come overcome a chaotic training camp to beat Nasrat Haqparast last month and earned plenty of admiration for taking on such a dangerous challenge on limited preparation, not to mention giving up a coveted MIQ spot to boot.
Still, Hooker would have expected to produce a much better showing than what eventuated on Sunday (NZ time).
After a brief feeling out process, Makhachev landed a right hook before immediately securing a takedown to trap Hooker on his back.
With the Russian in control, he proceeded to isolate Hooker’s right arm and while the ‘Hangman’ scrambled to adjust and keep him at bay, Makhachev was eventually able to lock in a kimura.
Makhachev stepped over Hooker’s head and cranked the Kiwi’s arm behind his back to secure the verbal submission before setting his sights on a title fight.
Charles Oliveira is due to defend his lightweight belt against Dustin Poirier in December and Makhachev was adamant he should be next in line. Although, he may have to settle for the winner of next week’s top-five clash between Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler.
“Now it’s time,” Makhachev said in his post-fight interview. “This guy is (ranked) number six … nine-fight win streak. I’m ready for a title fight.”
Hooker would have been in a similar position had the result gone his way, but instead it’s now back to the drawing board in his quest to capture UFC gold.
Unable to return to home for the foreseeable future due to limited MIQ capacity, Hooker will now return to the US where he will be joined by his family.
Meanwhile, 42-year-old Brazilian Glover Teixeira can finally call himself a UFC champion after submitting Jan Blachowicz in the second round to win the light-heavyweight title.
Teixeira, who has been competing professionally since 2002, is the second-oldest fighter to win a UFC crown behind Randy Couture, who won the light-heavyweight belt for the second time at 43.
In the co-main event, Petr Yan won the interim bantamweight title with a unanimous decision victory over Cory Sandhagen.
