Dan
Hooker recently went under the knife for the injury that led to
his withdrawal from the UFC on
ESPN 52 co-main event.
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“The Hangman” broke his arm during sparring shortly ahead of his
proposed lightweight showdown against Bobby Green.
As a result, Jalin
Turner stepped in to face Green on Saturday at the Moody Center
in Austin, Texas.
“Surgery done and dusted this morning,” Hooker wrote Monday on
Instagram. “Not my first and definitely won’t be my last time under
the knife… Can see how this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I’m
built for this game. Just a scratch baby, can’t wait to scrap
again.”
Hooker has dealt with a series of setbacks in recent months. That
includes his last outing at UFC 290, where he suffered a broken arm
in a victory over Jalin
Turner. According to the City Kickboxing representative, that
injury never fully healed.
“My hunger to compete got the best of me. I was too eager to fight
under the lights again and put on a show that would be remembered,”
Hooker wrote recently in a separate Instagram
post. “I broke my arm sparring this week in the same place as
last time. Surgeon tells me the bone had never fused properly. Have
surgery this week to inject bone marrow into my arm and ensure full
strength.
“Wake up call to take better care of myself and recover properly
before getting back to action. Every set back in this game is an
opportunity to learn and grow.”
Hooker has won back-to-back fights under the UFC banner after
losing four of five appearances from June 2020 to March 2022.