Speaking on the Ariel Helwani Show, Hooker questioned the backlash.
“There’s a few lefties having a sulk, but once everyone watches the full 45 minutes and sees the respect for the fighters, since when did putting gloves on in the backyard and having a punch up become illegal?” he said. “Since when is that a crime?”
Hooker stressed that professional referees and medical staff were present.
“It’s being run by some of the most experienced combat sports people in the country. Once they watch the whole thing, they will just be, like, ‘Oh, it doesn’t matter, it’s not that big of a deal’.”
“I knew that everyone would think it was crazy, I knew there would be people who would have issues with it. I wanted it at my house so I could control it.
Dan Hooker hosted 32 men for a "one-minute scrap" at his Auckland home. Photo / Jeff Bottari, Zuffa LLC
“I had some amazing people step up to the plate and make it all run smoothly.”
Hooker said the only major injury was to a fighter’s arm.
“There were a couple bumps, a couple scrapes. Obviously a few of the boys were run through concussion protocol.”
With a three-second knockdown rule and two knockdowns ending the bout, Hooker believed his event was actually safer than boxing.
“These boys are a lot less banged up.”
All fighters were given a $1000 cash bonus and, combined with the grand prize, a total of $82,000 was awarded.
Hooker said this was funded through clicks.
“People on the internet want wild new content clips and that pays for the $50,000 for the winner.”
