Dan
Hooker is willing to help Beneil
Dariush figure out if he’s still an elite competitor.
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Dariush (22-6) recently suffered a Round 1 knockout loss at the
hands of Arman
Tsarukyan in December. This loss was preceded by a Round 2
technical knockout defeat for “Benny” at the hands of former
champion Charles
Oliveira at UFC
289. The loss to Oliveira also marked the end of an impressive
eight-fight winning streak for the
Kings MMA product.
Following back-to-back stoppage losses, Dariush was open about his
thought process when it came to his future as a competitor in the
elite lightweight division.
“I just want to know if I still got it,” Benny told Submission Radio.
The Iranian-born American declared he will only continue to fight
if he can see a clear path to the title, which is his ultimate
goal.
Enter Hooker (23-12). Currently on a two-fight winning streak, the
Kiwi has almost recovered from a broken arm, an injury suffered 11
days ahead of his scheduled meeting with Bobby Green
in December.
Ranked No. 10 in the lightweight division, “The Hangman” is more
than happy to answer all of Dariush’s questions regarding his
standing in the division.
“I’ll fight Beneil in June,” Hooker said in an interview with
Engage. “Whether that be [Conor] McGregor’s card International
Fight Week, if he’s just pulling everyone’s chain as he usually
does. I hear [the UFC is] coming back mid-year sometime in
Australia. That as well, it would be cool to fight close to home…
So, Benny is ranked above me coming off a couple of losses, but
let’s go, baby. He’s come out and said, yeah, he wants to see if
he’s still got it. Well, I can check, brother. I’ll check for you.”