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Dan Hooker is no stranger to welcoming champions from other organizations into the UFC Octagon.
Hooker was the opponent for former Bellator champion Michael Chandler's UFC debut in 2021, a fight that didn't go his way. Now, he's set to face former two-division KSW champion Salahdine Parnasse in the main event of UFC Fight Night 287 this Saturday at Accor Arena in Paris.
Amidst rumors that PFL Lightweight Champion Usman Nurmagomedov (22-0) might be joining the UFC, Hooker is already raising his hand for that potential matchup.
"It's the same situation as when I fought Chandler. It's the same with this Parnasse guy," Hooker told Submission Radio. "It'll be the same with Usman. No one else will take the fight... Do you think Ilia Topuria is going to risk fighting an unranked fighter from outside the UFC? No one else wants to take that risk. For the same reason, I was the guy who stepped up against Chandler. For the same reason, they're paying me to fight Parnasse – because none of the other guys in the division want to risk everything. That's why they call Dan Hooker, offer him a bit of danger money, and he welcomes these guys to the big leagues."
Hooker relishes the position of spoiling someone's debut, and in Nurmagomedov's case, it would carry even greater significance.
"That would be the exciting part for me about that fight – you get another chance to go in there and take on a legacy," Hooker said. "To go into someone's hometown and ruin their debut – that gives me a nice, warm feeling."
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