UFC 324: Gaethje vs Pimblett | SUN 25 JAN 1PM AEDT | Justin Gaethje faces Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight championship. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.<\/a><\/p>\n The feud began when the Brit took aim at Hooker\u2019s grappling while talking about top contender Arman Tsarukyan.<\/p>\n \u201cDan Hooker couldn\u2019t grapple a f**king rapist off his ma,\u201d he told MMA Guru.<\/a><\/p>\n The remark didn\u2019t go unnoticed by Kiwi, who hit back at The Baddy over social media.<\/p>\n On X, he posted: \u201cIt\u2019s on site u fat b*tch.\u201d<\/p>\n But the feud took a darker turn when Hooker referenced a friend of Pimblett\u2019s who died by suicide in 2022.<\/p>\n Pimblett \u2013 a vocal advocate for mental health awareness \u2013 branded the comment \u201clowest of the low\u201d and made it clear he\u2019d be willing to fight Hooker if their paths ever cross.<\/p>\n \u201cF**k him,\u201d Pimblett told Fox Sports Australia on Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had people from Liverpool asking if he\u2019s coming this week because they were going to batter him.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, he\u2019s lucky that he\u2019s fighting next week and he\u2019s not here because he would have got jumped by about 60 Scousers.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked if he\u2019d like to settle things in the Octagon, Pimblett didn\u2019t hold back.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, but he\u2019s beneath me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s an absolute crab. <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s 5-5 in his last ten. He\u2019s a bum. People call Michael Chandler washed, I beat him.<\/p>\n \u201cMichael Chandler knocked Dan Hooker out in two minutes.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s Dan Hooker if Michael Chandler\u2019s washed? What\u2019s Dan Hooker?\u201d<\/p>\n Elsewhere, Pimblett had kinder words for Volkanovski, suggesting the Australian champ could move up to lightweight to take him on \u2013 provided they both win their next title bouts.<\/p>\n The Wollongong icon is gearing up to headline UFC 325 in Sydney on February 1, taking on Diego Lopes in a rematch of their clash from last year.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to fight Volk,\u201d Pimblett explained.<\/p>\n \u201cI really like Volk. He\u2019s one of the nicest men I\u2019ve ever met in my life. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a fan of Volk, but I just thought, hypothetically, that Volk would probably think that I am the easiest chance for him to become a lightweight champion and a double champ.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause obviously he lost to Ilia [Topuria], but I think if he hadn\u2019t taken the fight so soon he wouldn\u2019t have got beat there. I think if he has a rematch he wins.<\/p>\n \u201cBut, I think he looks at that and thinks that Paddy could be an easier fight than Ilia. An easier fight than Arman.<\/p>\n \u201cLike everyone thinks — because everyone underestimates me.<\/p>\n \u201cBut as I said, I\u2019d rather not fight him. He\u2019s one of the nicest blokes in MMA ever, but I just thought hypothetically it could be something he wants to do if he wants to become double champ before he retires.\u201d<\/p>\n MORE: Volkanovski has been urged to retire rather than chase another title<\/a><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768365730_454_poster-fallback.png\"\/)
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