NEW Zealand fighter Dan ‘Hangman’ Hooker has revealed how he plans on taking down Arnold Allen ahead of tonight’s UFC featherweight showdown.
As a versatile fighter capable of implementing a mix of anything from wrestling and grappling to striking, he says it takes an incredible amount of time and experience to identify the winning combination.
He said: “That recipe right there is not any one thing.
“I’ve run through this process so many times, so I’ve been able to change the recipe and I feel like this cake is going to be good, I feel like I’ve baked myself a good cake.”
He says his builds the foundation of his attack plan by analysing Allen’s capabilities, his techniques and habits.
He said: “When you’re a bit further out at the start of your training camp, that’s when I’ll have a look at my opponent, see his patterns, see what he does, get an understanding of what challenge you’re going to face, your training is you’re touching all the bases.
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“You can’t forget about one of those pieces.”
But as the fight draws closer, he switches tact.
It becomes less about his opponent and more about what he can do on the day.
He said: “I leave that analysis of my opponent now to my coaches, cos they’re the ones who are going to be out there on fight night reading him and looking at him and telling me to make the adjustments.”
He said: “A week out from the fight, I’m solely focused on myself, I’m not concerned with what Arnold Allen thinks, I’m not concerned with what he’s going to do, what techniques he’s going to throw, I’m not in control of that, I’m in control of myself so my entire focus this close to the fight is on myself.”
When it all goes to plan, Hooker says it isn’t always a rush of euphoria some fans might expect.
He pulled out a perfectly timed knee against Ross Pearson inside a sold out arena in Auckland – his home city – in June 2017 which knocked his opponent to the ground.
He said: “People think yeah you’re going to get a shot of adrenaline, na – pure relief. 100 percent.
“You got 10,000 people, you got all your friends, all your family got your mum, got your wife, imagine if that was you.
“You got that stress in the back of your mind that that could be you lying there.”
Hooker secured the win with an extra follow up shot just to make sure he wasn’t leaving a comeback up to chance.
“You’re going to have to put up with that for the rest of your life, you’re down at the pub 50 years old, and they’re like remember when you got knocked out in front of everyone, you’ve got to live with that as a fighter, so it’s just sheer relief.”
UFC Fans have flooded the O2 Arena for a sell-out showdown ahead of the main card which will see Alexander Volkov take on Tom Aspinall.
