Dan Hooker, the former UFC lightweight now featherweight, reunites with his family in New Zealand after spending months in America. The video of their meet made many UFC athletes and fans emotional.
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‘The Hangman’ entered American soil on September 2021 to prepare for his fight against Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266. After a two-fight skid, he found his way back into the win column with a victory over Haqparast.
However, the New Zealander couldn’t return to his home country because of the Covid-19 restrictions and lockdown. Hence, he decided to stay in Las Vegas. Following that, Hooker took a short notice fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 267. Unfortunately, he lost that fight and another in London on 19th March 2022.
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However, ‘The Hangman’ could finally return to New Zealand after spending months in America. As the country has eased the Covid-19 restrictions. Hooker posted a heartwarming video of the first interaction with his family after months apart. In the caption, he wrote, “First time seeing my baby this year.”
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In the video, Hooker’s daughter can be seen overly joyed to see her father. She runs into his arms as the UFC fighter arrives at the airport. The heartwarming video made many UFC personalities emotional, and they shared their joy in the comments.
UFC community reacts to Dan Hooker meeting his daughter after months apart
‘The Hangman’ Hooker reunited with his daughter for the first time this year and shared the moment on his official Instagram page. Understandably, staying away from the family is hard for fighters having training camps in a different country.
Hence, many, including Hooker’s teammate Alexander Volkanovski, felt the former’s joy. The featherweight champion commented on the post with a heart emoji. The heavyweight superstar, Tai Tuivasa, also commented on the post with folded hands and heart emoji.
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The famous MMA journalist, Bret Okamoto wrote, “the best” on the post. Meanwhile, the former female fighter and UFC analyst Laura Sanko also reacted to the video. She wrote, “this got me” in the comments with a crying emoji.
One user wrote, “Nothing else matters, the bro already a winner every day.” Another wrote, “we love you dan hope you’re doing good.”
Although Hooker lost two fights in a row, many showed him support in the comments. A user wrote, “Backing you still brother, we don’t switch up on this side.”
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What are your thoughts on Hooker and his daughter’s heartwarming video? Let us know in the comments below.