Dan Hooker is ready to get back in the octagon and he has his sights set on one specific name.

“The Hangman” has become a fan favorite at 155-pounds in the UFC but unfortunately for him, he’s hit a bit of a rough patch in his last five outings. 1-4 in his last stretch of bouts, Hooker most recently attempted to rekindle his fighting flame by returning to the 145-pound featherweight class against top contender Arnold Allen. Hooker put up an energetic effort throughout the bout, but eventually lost to Arnold with a series of punches and elbows.

Now, the Kiwi is itching to put his hands on someone and this week he made it clear he wants the former interim lightweight champion, Tony Ferguson. Hooker took to Twitter to respond to fans who shared the bout idea with him. Hooker tag Ferguson and told him that he would smash his face.

“Picking fighters is one my best skills,” Hooker said to Submission radio . “But I think they’ve (UFC) been looking for a fight for me for a while now. “I’m in training. I get sick of it. I want the fight camp.

“Tony Ferguson was the fight they are interested in. I believe that fight is very sensible. Both of us are in the same position, my management is interested in that fight and I believe that fans also want it. So how do you choose a fight to fight? You tell someone you’re gonna smash their face in. If they agree, they agree. These are words for fighting. You need to know how to fight words if you want to win a fight. Premium quality words for fighting. Can’t be ignored. Now your honor is at stake. You ignore that, now your honor is at stake, my friend.”

Ferguson, like Hooker, is also riding a stretch of bad luck in his past four outings, having suffered convincing defeats in all. “El Cucuy” undeniably had his best success in his last fight, however, giving Michael Chandler all he could handle in the opening round of their UFC 274 encounter. In the end, that would be where Ferguson’s success ran out as Chandler only needed a single strike in round two to put away one of the more durable fighters in the division’s history.

17 seconds into the round, Chandler launched a pinpoint front kick up the middle, connecting with Ferguson’s chin in about as violent of a fashion as is possible. Ferguson admitted in the aftermath of the loss that had he not done as well as he did in the first round, he likely would have ended his career on that note.

The door to the Hooker fight is open now and, if City Kickboxing had its way, he would make it happen as quickly as possible.

“This is definitely not [an easy stylistic matchup],” Hooker said. Hooker said that he looked great during the Chandler fight. I feel like we both still got a lot of good fights left in us.

“This sport isn’t based on fairy tales. That’s what I have seen from the fans. They don’t want us losing because that would leave the other in a worse position. You might be new to MMA, but this is not a sport of fairy tales. This is not the way our wonderful sport operates. One can only continue; one cannot move forward, and that is a huge fight. One win puts the other back into the fray and it’s exactly where you want to go. I am not here to change the numbers. It’s not my goal to find easy wins. Let’s get this done .”

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TOP STORIES

Numbers. MSG pushes back on Jake Paul vs. Hasim Rahman Jr. ticket sales controversy

Warning. Gilbert Burns says Conor McGregor has no business at welterweight: ‘We’d just destroy Conor’

Odds. Dustin Poirier opens as solid favorite over Michael Chandler in lightweight scrap expected at UFC 281

Anticipation. Alexander Volkanovski hopes Charles Oliveira beats Islam Makhachev at UFC 280: ‘Charles is definitely a bigger fight’

Sidelined. Arnold Allen ‘very frustrated’ by recurring injuries, still targeting a 2022 return and top-5 opponent

Politics. MMA legend Wanderlei Silva running for a seat in the Brazilian congress

Change. A.J. McKee explains move to lightweight, still open to face Patricio Pitbull at 145 ‘one last time to whoop his ass’

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VIDEO STEW

Between the Links.

MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck talks to A.J. McKee.

Top Finishes | UFC Vegas 59

Jamahal “Sweet dreams” Hill Fighter Profile

Fight Motion | UFC 277

UFC 278: Usman vs Edwards 2 – Unstoppable | Official Trailer | August 20

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LISTEN UP

DAMN! They were good. MMA Fighting’s Jed Meshew, Mike Heck, Alexander K. Lee, and New York Rick remember Ronda Rousey.

Heck of a Morning. MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck reacts to the targeted Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Chandler fight and chats with Billy Goff after winning a UFC contract.

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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Kicking it.

Cheers!

What the hell.

The tease goes on!

Big boned.

Cheese.

Shoutout.

Chito FC.

Squad.

DC gonna DC.

Go hard.

The Quebecer.

Indeed.

Just a tad.

Red Ritu.

HoF.

Happy belated to the baddest grandma on the planet.

Too sweet.

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Austin Vanderford (11-1) vs. Aaron Jeffery (12-3); Bellator 284, Aug. 12, 2022

Sara McMann (13-6) vs. Aspen Ladd (9-3); UFC Fight Night, Sept. 17

Mario Bautista (10-2) vs. Benito Lopez (10-1); UFC Fight Night, Nov. 5

Matt Schnell (16-6, 1 NC) vs. Matheus Nicolau (18-3-1); UFC Fight Night, Dec. 3

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FINAL THOUGHTS

Dan has a wonderful point at the very end. With that being said, Dana, make it happen.

Happy Friday, gang. Keep safe, and thank you for reading.

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EXIT POLL

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If you find something you’d like to see in the Morning Report, hit up @DrakeRiggs_ on Twitter and let him know about it. Also follow MMAFighting on Instagram and like us on Facebook.