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A new BMF champion will be crowned this summer.
Once proclaimed as a “one of one” title by UFC President Dana White, the platinum strap is making a jump down from welterweight to lightweight at UFC 291 on July 29. Jorge Masvidal’s retirement provided a good enough excuse and reason for White to go back on his word and resurrect “Gamebred’s” championship, which will now go to either Dustin Poirier or Justin Gaethje.
Both fighters participating in the title tilt have been openly careless about the belt’s inclusion in their rematch. Others within the division, UFC, and the overall MMA community have also felt that the guaranteed violence fest is a good enough pay-per-view headliner without a gimmick attached. Add fan-favorite lightweight contender Dan Hooker to the list
“That’s why it’s a little bit of a silly fight, ya know what I mean?” Hooker told FREESTYLEBENDER. “We’re prizefighters at the end of the day. Nah. What does it actually mean though?
“Of course, I’d take it [if offered] because there’s money that comes with it, which is the main objective of doing it. But having a BMF title and hanging that on my wall and being proud of that is like not the same as a world title. I’d probably put it under the bed or something like that.”
The BMF title residing in the lightweight division feels more fitting thanks to the countless entertaining fighters it holds. Hooker himself is no stranger to “Fight of the Night” awards, having earned one for his June 2020 war with Poirier.
Unfortunately for “The Hangman,” Hooker lost the bout via a unanimous decision. It was an enjoyable 25-minute experience despite all the damage the proud Kiwi took and delivered.
“Dustin’s just a fun guy to fight,” Hooker said. “He makes it too fun and sucks you into that game. I can watch the [first] Gaethje fight and it’s the exact same thing. He’s just like a fun guy to fight, a fun guy to get in a fight with (laughs), which is like a weird thing. He’s just a fun person to fight and you get distracted about all of that and get sucked into the fight. It’s just fun.”
Before Poirier and Gaethje run things back, Hooker, 33, looks to reignite a winning streak for the first time since having his three-fight stretch halted by Poirier. The City Kickboxing product returned to form with a vintage performance against Claudio Puelles at UFC 281 this past November, finishing Puelles with a body kick TKO. Hooker hopes a second consecutive win against Jalin Turner at UFC 290 next Saturday night will get him back to where he once was.
“This is a fight that puts me back in the mix,” Hooker said of Turner. “This is not anyone unranked or someone coming up. This is a true tipping point. I’ve got a bit of a chip and it’s time to go out there and prove I belong in there with the best guys. That’s this fight for me.
“It’s the guy that I can prove that I [still] have the potential to win a world title. Because I’ve said that many times. If I don’t think that a world title is in the mix then what’s the point of even doing it? That’s how I truly feel, and Jalin Turner is one of the best. I take nothing off the kid. I want to fight him because he’s one of the very best fighters and he has a lot of fighters turning down when they see his name on a contract. That makes me excited to fight somebody in the top 10 and potentially put yourself back in the mix, a couple fights away from a title. That’s exactly why I want to have this fight.”
Bummer. Henry Cejudo reveals he’s out of UFC 292 fight with Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera due to shoulder injury
Featherweight. Alexander Volkanovski sees Ilia Topuria as next potential title challenger: ‘Just give me a guy’
Debate. Daniel Cormier argues Jon Jones doesn’t deserve ‘Best Fighter’ ESPY nomination this year
GOAT. Jon Anik recounts ‘special moment’ with Amanda Nunes after calling her final fight at UFC 289
Flyweight. Brandon Royval: Amir Albazi ‘went out there and proved I deserve’ next title shot – plus, his fight ‘sucked’
Between the Links.
Top Fighter Finishes From UFC Vegas 76.
UFC Firsts.
Free fight.
Best of Chandler.
Top 10 KOs from PFL 2023 Regular Season’s second half.
Fight week.
War Room: Volkanovski vs. Rodriguez.
Cooking with Volk.
Gilbert’s life.
Heck of a Morning. MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck discusses Sean Strickland’s chances in the Israel Adesanya sweepstakes, Rakhmonov vs. Gastelum booking.
Agreement.
Wild times.
Difficulty levels.
Whoops.
Nice.
BREAKING: I will be competing in a coding competition against another inept and terrible coder as a co-main EVENT to the Musk/Zuckerberg Main-Event.
— Kenny Florian (@kennyflorian) June 29, 2023
Chito.
Barry blue-belt.
Bam Bam…
Guests.
Whoops.
Wild.
Team Alpha Female.
Craig is too much.
Side gig.
The Sonnens.
Storytime.
Amir Aliakbari (12-3) vs. Dustin Joynson (7-1); ONE Fight Night 12, July 12
Jake Matthews (18-6) vs. Miguel Baeza (10-3); UFC 291, July 29
John Lineker (35-10) vs. Jae Woong Kim (13-7); ONE Fight Night 13, Aug. 4
Bubba Jenkins (21-6) vs. Jesus Pinedo (21-6-1); PFL 7, 2023, Aug. 4
Josh Silveira (11-1) vs. Ty Flores (13-4); PFL 7, 2023, Aug. 4
Gabriel Braga (11-0) vs. Movlid Khaybulaev (21-0-1); PFL 7, 2023, Aug. 4
Marthin Hamlet (12-4) vs. Impa Kasanganay (13-3); PFL 7, 2023, Aug. 4
Elvin Espinoza (8-0) vs. Keoni Diggs (10-2); PFL 7, 2023, Aug. 4
Desiree Yanez (7-4) vs. Lisa Mauldin (5-3); PFL 7, 2023, Aug. 4
Satoshi Ishii (26-13-1) vs. Danilo Marques (14-5); PFL 7, 2023, Aug. 4
Chelsea Hackett (3-1-1) vs. Ky Bennett (3-2); PFL 7, 2023, Aug. 4
Tracy Cortez (10-1) vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius (9-2); UFC Las Vegas, Sept. 16
Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 isn’t silly but the belt is. Wouldn’t hate to see the loser of that fight face Hooker if he beats Turner.
Happy Friday, gang. Have a great weekend and thanks for reading!
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