Dan Hooker steps in at late notice to fight Islam Makhachev at UFC 267

He put out the call for anyone to fight him at UFC 266. Now he answers UFC president Dana White's call to step up at the next pay-per-view at the end of October.

Following his victory over Nasrat Haqparast on Sunday, Dan 'The Hangman' Hooker (21-10) goes back to work at UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi.

The Ngāti Maniapoto fighter replaces an injured Rafael dos Anjos on short notice to fight No. 5 ranked lightweight Islam Makhachev (20-1).

It means that Hooker will stay in the United States to prepare for that fight until he has to fly out to Abu Dhabi.  He will also return to the States after the fight to live, where his wife and daughter will meet him too.

This also means Hooker is forgoing his MIQ spot that he secured before he left for his UFC 266 bout.

This will be Hooker's first ranked opponent since fighting Dustin Poirier last year.

Though it's not Beneil Dariush, who Hooker called out in his post-fight interview after defeating Haqparast, a fight with Makhachev is equally exciting. The No.5 ranked lightweight from Dagestan is riding an eight-fight win streak and is a teammate to undefeated and retired former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Islam comes off a submission win in July over Thiago Moises in his first UFC fight night main event.

With Hooker's immediate past woes of training in lockdown, getting his visa approved just days before he flew out to Las Vegas, making weight, and getting the victory in the octagon, it's a quick turnaround for the newly-dubbed no.6 ranked lightweight.

Before they do fight in October, the two have thrown verbal jabs at each other before on social media back in July.

Fight fans won't have to wait long until this Twitter fight comes to fruition in the octagon on October 30.