UFC star Dan Hooker jokes he doesn’t want to be ‘who the f**k is that guy’d?’ by Conor McGregor at press conference
DAN HOOKER jokes he does not want to be ‘who the f**k is that guy’d?’ by Conor McGregor at the UFC 257 press conference.
Hooker and his Fight Island opponent Michael Chandler will be joined by McGregor and fellow headliner Dustin Poirier ahead of a presser.
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But the New Zealander warned he will be cautious about calling out The Notorious, after Jeremy Stephens was left red faced in 2016.
Stephens, ahead of UFC 205 in New York, claimed he was the hardest-hitting opponent McGregor could face.
To which the Irishman responded: “Who the f**k is that guy?”
It leaves Hooker, 30, admitting he will have to be wary as she shares the stage with McGregor, 32, in Abu Dhabi.
He told MMAJunkie: “You’ve got to be on your toes.
“You don’t want to get ‘Who the f**k is that guy’d?’ or something like that. He could chuck you in the can in one line.”
McGregor later admitted to knowing who featherweight contender Stephens was, but thought of the burn on the spot.
And he is certainly familiar with Hooker, as he put the lightweight division on notice by promising to ‘tear through’ them.
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With two lightweight headliners featuring on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, Hooker is looking forward to seeing it all unfold.
But he will not rehearse any scripted lines to steal the show at the press conference, preferring to play it by ear.
Hooker said: “To be honest, I’m a fan of the sport – it’ll be pretty surreal to be sitting up with those guys at such a huge press conference like that.
“I don’t put too much thought into it. I’m not a guy who goes away and practices my lines in the mirror or anything like that.
“I’m going to take it as it comes. Ninety-nine percent of the focus will be on Conor and what he’s going to do and what he’s going to say.”