{"id":39161,"date":"2026-01-26T08:12:32","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T13:12:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/01\/26\/just-days-before-ufc-325-dan-hooker-retracts-harsh-critique-of-ufc-calling-it-a-really-terrible-sport\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T08:12:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T13:12:32","slug":"just-days-before-ufc-325-dan-hooker-retracts-harsh-critique-of-ufc-calling-it-a-really-terrible-sport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/01\/26\/just-days-before-ufc-325-dan-hooker-retracts-harsh-critique-of-ufc-calling-it-a-really-terrible-sport\/","title":{"rendered":"Just Days Before UFC 325, Dan Hooker Retracts Harsh Critique of UFC Calling It a \u2018Really Terrible Sport\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/01\/26\/just-days-before-ufc-325-dan-hooker-retracts-harsh-critique-of-ufc-calling-it-a-really-terrible-sport\/#Hookers_Unconventional_Comments_Soon_After_UFC_Comeback\" >Hooker\u2019s Unconventional Comments Soon After UFC Comeback<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/01\/26\/just-days-before-ufc-325-dan-hooker-retracts-harsh-critique-of-ufc-calling-it-a-really-terrible-sport\/#Possibility_of_Hooker_vs_Pimblett_Clash_in_The_Future\" >Possibility of Hooker vs. Pimblett Clash in The Future<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><strong>Dan Hooker Voices Harsh Criticism of MMA Ahead of UFC 325 Return<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As Dan Hooker prepares to step back into the Octagon at UFC 325, he has expressed strong negative feelings about the sport he competes in. <\/p>\n<p>Following a break over the holiday season, the UFC kicked off the new year with UFC 324, marking its first event on the Paramount network. The momentum continues this weekend with UFC 325 set to take place in Sydney, Australia, featuring a featherweight title clash between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopez.<\/p>\n<p>Hooker is slated for the co-main event against fan favorite Benoit Saint-Denis, aiming to secure his third consecutive victory.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Hookers_Unconventional_Comments_Soon_After_UFC_Comeback\"><\/span>Hooker\u2019s Unconventional Comments Soon After UFC Comeback<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In recent months, Dan Hooker, nicknamed &#8220;The Hangman,&#8221; has been at the center of multiple disputes with other lightweight fighters. In November, during his bout with longtime rival Arman Tsarukyan, Hooker was notably overwhelmed in the second round following an accidental headbutt.<\/p>\n<p>Shortly after, Hooker engaged in a heated online exchange with fellow fighter Paddy Pimblett, drawing widespread backlash when Hooker made an insensitive remark about one of Pimblett\u2019s late friends.<\/p>\n<p>Now, just days after his fight in Sydney, Hooker stirred the pot again with a surprising tirade criticizing both the sport itself and the UFC organization.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to actually make money once I\u2019m done with this ridiculous career,\u201d Hooker remarked in an interview with Engage. \u201cIf I had the time, I\u2019d focus on business and investing instead of getting distracted by this goddamn sport. Had I devoted that time to building businesses and investing, I\u2019d probably be wealthier and with less brain damage.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Possibility_of_Hooker_vs_Pimblett_Clash_in_The_Future\"><\/span>Possibility of Hooker vs. Pimblett Clash in The Future<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Currently separated by just one ranking spot, a showdown between Hooker and Pimblett looks increasingly feasible, especially following Pimblett\u2019s recent defeat to Justin Gaethje. Should the 35-year-old Hooker overcome his challenging opponent, \u2018The Hangman\u2019 may soon offer a bold challenge to the English star.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Fan Take:<\/strong><br \/>\nDan Hooker\u2019s candid criticism shines a light on the harsh realities fighters face, reminding fans that behind the spectacle, many athletes struggle with the toll the sport takes. This honesty could spark important conversations about fighter welfare and the future direction of MMA.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Dan Hooker Voices Harsh Criticism of MMA Ahead of UFC 325 Return As Dan Hooker prepares to step back into the Octagon at UFC 325, he has expressed strong negative feelings about the sport he competes in. Following a break over the holiday season, the UFC kicked off the new year with UFC 324, marking [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39162,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2443],"tags":[2444],"class_list":{"0":"post-39161","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fighting","8":"tag-fighting"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39161"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39161\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39162"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}