Dan Hooker isn’t shopping for what Ilia Topuria is promoting.
This previous October, Topuria efficiently defended his featherweight title, knocking out Max Holloway in the primary occasion of UFC 308. After his win, former champion Alexander Volkanovski entered the cage, organising their rematch someday in 2025. Besides now, that won’t occur.
Earlier this month, Topuria teased a transfer to light-weight, suggesting that he could vacate his featherweight title. “El Matador” later walked that again however nonetheless seems to be extra targeted on taking a struggle at 155 kilos as an alternative of working issues again with Volkanovski. However for Volkanovski’s Metropolis Kickboxing teammate Dan Hooker, that is all simply an act.
“Traditional shit,” Hooker instructed Submission Radio. “It’s fairly evident that he’s simply working off McGregor’s playbook, and line certainly one of McGregor’s playbook is maintain your identify within the headlines. That’s all that I see from it’s Topuria retaining his identify within the headlines. The man doesn’t struggle all that always. I feel he fights Volk someday subsequent yr. March or April.”
This isn’t the primary time Topuria has proven disinterest in doing one thing he finally did. Earlier than profitable the featherweight title over Volkanovski, Topuria stated he wouldn’t struggle Max Holloway, however after all, he finally did. And as Hooker factors out, Topuria did already conform to run issues again with Volkanovski, which means that is the struggle that’s going to occur.
“Bro, then don’t get within the f*cking cage with him and conform to struggle him then, dickhead! You let him get within the cage, you had a face-off with him, and also you stated you’d struggle him. That’s, man to man, that’s that. You’ve agreed. You already agreed to a struggle. How are you going to again out of it now? …
“You need to have simply stated no on the time. You’ll be able to’t agree. That’s just like the previous ‘he’s taken his glove off, and he’s slapped you in his face now.’ You’ve been challenged, and also you agreed, you accepted. You’ll be able to’t conform to a struggle, man to man, nose to nose, after which later be like, ‘Nah, truly, I modified me thoughts.’ It’s Volk versus Ilia. That’s the following struggle.”
