""When he got matched with [Dustin] Poirier, France is a huge market for the UFC, and you could see they were pushing him a bit quick, they were pushing BSD a bit quick, like rushing him," Hooker (24-13) stated during the UFC 325 media day. "And then they put him in the deep end with a guy like Dustin Poirier." Hooker caught that fight, and BSD's follow-up with Renato Moicano, another high-profile loss. It's what happened after that that stood out."
""So he did take that loss to Poirier, and Moicano, and now he's back," continued Hooker. "That is something I respect. I respect that because as a guy myself who has picked myself back up the canvas, and had a couple losses and then got back on a win streak, had a couple of losses, I know how tough how tough that is. I now how much character you need as a human to pick yourself back up off the mat.""
Dan Hooker criticizes fighters who enter the UFC with undefeated records after facing cherry-picked opponents. He praises Benoit St-Denis for accepting difficult matchups early, including defeats to Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano, rather than being shielded. Hooker values the character required to recover from decisive losses and rebuild a winning streak. Hooker relates those qualities to his own career, describing how he has overcome losses and returned to competitiveness. Hooker notes that fighters pushed quickly for market reasons can be rushed into the deep end, and admires those who learn and return stronger.
Read at Cageside Press
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