Dan Hooker returned to winning ways as he beat Claudio Puelles via TKO at UFC 281 in Madison Square Garden. The City Kickboxing team’s captain stepped into the cage against the 26-year-old Peruvian looking for a win after losing his last two fights.
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‘The Hangman’ was struggling to find consistency before facing ‘The Prince of Peru’ after losing four out of his last five bouts. Hooker fought through some early adversity and found a dominant win toward the end of the second round.
Fans react to Hooker vs Puelles at UFC 281
Dan Hooker opened the UFC 281 main card against Claudio Puelles. The Kiwi faced some trouble early in round one as Puelles attempted to lock in a leg lock. However, ‘The Hangman’ patiently worked himself out of the position and ended the round on his feet. The 32-year-old found his range and dominated on the feet before finding a finish at the end of the second round.
Fans shared their reaction to Hooker returning to the winning road on social media. They also voiced their thoughts on the displays from both fighters. Some fans were not impressed by Puelles’ repeated attempts to take the fight to the ground.
Worst main card fight I’ve seen in forever , Dan hooker looked great but wtf was that #ufc #ufc281
— 5 City 𓅪 (@5city_) November 13, 2022
Who’s this joker trying to molest Dan hooker leg #ufc281
— Seun Tyb aka Grumpy Gooner (@SeunToyobo) November 13, 2022
Dan Hooker’s patient and methodical offense found him success and several fans acknowledged the veteran’s game.
Dan Hooker is back #UFC281
— Paul Fontaine (@PaulAceFontaine) November 13, 2022
There it is. Dan Hooker with a body kick finish against Puelles, who clearly didn't want to be there anymore after the failed kneebar attempt in the first round. #UFC281
— Andreas Hale (@AndreasHale) November 13, 2022
Beautiful performance from Dan Hooker! #UFC281
— Liam (@mmaLiam96) November 13, 2022
Great job, Dan Hooker. Glad to see him back in the W column and showed that his ground game is solid.
— Paddy (@PaddyTurnbull) November 13, 2022
Former UFC welterweight Ben Askren voiced a rather unpleasant opinion of the young Puelles after his display at UFC 281. After Hooker started to find success on the feet, Puelles was hesitant to engage with him. He tried to take the fight to the ground on several occasions, but ‘The Hangman’ did not oblige.
This dude is fired for sure. @danawhite gonna have no mercy on him.
— Funky (@Benaskren) November 13, 2022
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Askren expects Puelles’ actions to have severe consequences. The young athlete had a golden opportunity to shine, but he squandered it. His repeated attempts to grapple halted the pace of the fight several times. Askren expects the UFC head honcho to deal with it mercilessly.
An elated Hooker gave Joe Rogan a kiss on his head during the post-fight interview. He also welcomed anyone to a fight next.
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Who do you think Hooker fights next? Let us know in the comments below.