Hooker goes to war on Turner. Photo / Getty Images
Ngāti Maniapoto UFC lightweight fighter Dan 'The Hangman' Hooker went to war in an entertaining bout against American Jalin Turner, coming out the victor via split decision, at UFC 290 in Las Vegas on Sunday (NZ time).
Dubbed the 'fans' fight', it didn't disappoint.
It was a battle of No. 12 ranked Hooker versus No. 11 Turner in a great combination of stand-up and ground game, with takedowns from both men and momentum-changing strikes that could have ended the fight early for either fighter.
The first round was a kick fest from both men but Turner seemed to figure out the distance better, with his jabs and low leg kicks keeping Hooker at bay.
The last 10 seconds of the round were explosive as both men exchanged fists to close it out.
In round two, Turner landed more strikes, rocking Hooker with a head kick that sent the crowd into a frenzy midway through the round. Hooker showed resilience and kept his composure but, while he tried to close the distance, Turner was ready with counters of all kinds.
Then in an almost unbelievable comeback, Hooker went to town on Turner’s head with hooks and uppercuts. At one point, Turner screamed at Hooker’s face to welcome it. But Hooker made Turner pay, getting him on the ground and then nearly forcing him to submit in a rear naked choke.
The third and final round had the crowd buzzing and raucous as both men continued to slam the accelerator pedal flat to the floor. Turner made a takedown on Hooker but it was to no avail as 10 seconds later Hooker returned to his feet and then proceeded to get on top of the American for most of the remainder of the fight.
UFC announcer Bruce Buffer called the close-fought fight in favour of Hooker, with the Kiwi backing up on his last win in November 2022.
After the fight, both men were checked over by medical staff backstage. In two separate social media posts posts, Hooker took a selfie with his fellow opponent and showed an x-ray of a broken right hand believed to have happened in the second round of his bout.
