Dan Hooker is well aware of the position he finds himself in among the elite of the UFC's lightweight division.
Early in 2021, the Kiwi mixed martial artist was ranked No 6, but after first-round losses in two of his past three fights in the division – as well asan unsuccessful venture down to featherweight – he now finds himself ranked No 14 and set to play the role of gatekeeper.
Hooker will take on surging, but unranked, contender Claudio Puelles at UFC 281 in New York next month, looking to halt the Peruvian's five-fight winning streak and answer some questions in the process.
"I just signed it like I do every other fight," Hooker said of taking on an unranked fighter. "It's exciting. It's a young kid with a lot of momentum, sitting just outside the top 15 and that's just the position I'm in. I'm happy to oblige.
"There's always going to be questions that need to be asked after you take a couple of losses, so I'm happy to answer them. The question now is 'where does he stand? Is he amongst that elite of the world; that top 15 in the world?'
"So, I'm happy to reach down, fight one of these young blood guys in the division that are coming up and trying to prove themselves as an elite in the world. I'm happy to oblige; I'm happy to go out there and answer that question for everyone."
Hooker's last bout at lightweight was in October last year, when he took a short-notice opportunity against highly touted Russian Islam Makhachev, who will fight for the division's title next weekend.
Dan Hooker's last bout in the lightweight division was against Islam Makhachev in October 2021. Photo / Getty Images
After dropping that bout, the 32-year-old made the decision to move down in weight to fight at featherweight, travelling to the UK to take on undefeated hometown favourite Arnold Allen, with the referee waving the fight off in the first round as Hooker struggled to cope with the high pressure Allen was pushing.
Since that bout, Hooker's career has taken a new form as he is no longer working as his own manager, with head coach Eugene Bareman and Attain Peace Sports Management taking the reins. It was a decision that allowed Hooker to focus on simply being a fighter again – something he has not had the luxury of doing for some time.
"I'm just another fighter. All I have to do is eat, sleep, train, and compete. That's really it," Hooker said. "To take all of that bullshit out of my hands has been really refreshing. It took those experiences of all those travel-restricted fights, fighting without my team, fighting without proper training camps, and stuff like that to make me truly realise.
"I always knew my team was important, but now it's just like a whole new level where you have to really face the music and realise that maybe I'm not the best fighter in the world without my team.
"It's the combination of those things that makes world champions, that makes successful athletes, so to go back and fully invest in my team and coaches, and follow what they say, that's what I've done. I've put it in Eugene's hands with matching these fights and booking everything."
Hooker will be one of four Kiwi fighters competing at UFC 281. The Madison Square Garden card will be headlined by Israel Adesanya, who puts his middleweight title on the line against heavy-handed adversary Alex Pereira. Lightweight Brad Riddell will look to get back in the win column in a fan-friendly booking against Renato Moicano, and light heavyweight Carlos Ulberg aims to continue his rise against Nicolae Negumereanu.
"Being around my team, being around my coaches, the gas tank's on full again," Hooker said.
"I've been really excited to get back out there, and this is the perfect card with Israel, Carlos, and Brad. The boys are coming for New York."
