{"id":447534,"date":"2026-01-30T14:46:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-30T14:46:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/447534\/"},"modified":"2026-01-30T14:46:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-30T14:46:07","slug":"dan-hooker-is-nothing-special","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/447534\/","title":{"rendered":"Dan Hooker Is Nothing Special"},"content":{"rendered":"

Benoit Saint-Denis will look to extend his win streak to four this weekend at UFC 325 by making easy work of Dan Hooker<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Earlier this week, on media day, the French fighter was asked whether he expected any bad-blood to brew between him and Hooker during the buildup. Hooker has called him<\/a> the \u201cnicest bloke in the world,<\/a>\u201d and BSD also feels the same way. He confessed that everything has been peaceful so far, and both men have immense respect for each other. He added that he \u201cexpects nothing special\u201d from the Kiwi but RESPECT.<\/p>\n

\u201cI expect nothing special. I expect respect. He knows it\u2019s going to be a battle inside the octagon<\/a>\u2026 I want to fight the best version of him, and the same for me. Let\u2019s see who is going to be the winner.\u201d<\/p>\n

Check out Benoit Saint-Denis\u2019 comments below (22:10):<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

After securing three back-to-back finishes in 2025, Benoit Saint Denis climbed up to the No. 8 spot in the UFC lightweight chart and now sits just two spots below Dan Hooker. <\/p>\n

During the same sit-down, \u201dGod of War\u2019 stated that if he gets past Hooker, he expects to break into the top five. He next has his crosshairs on the undisputed 155-pound championship and the BMF belt<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Dan Hooker feels pre-fight animosity is unnecessary<\/p>\n

During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Dan Hooker gave his two cents on whether pre-fight animosity with opponents is important and if that hate helps on fight night. <\/p>\n

\u2018The Hangman\u2019 believes that any emotion, good or bad, has no place inside the octagon, as it only leads to distractions. Hence, the 35-year-old Kiwi prefers to enter the cage emotionless. He said:<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get angry, you lose. You get happy, you get distracted, you lose. You have to stay calm, calculated, and just remove emotion from the whole situation altogether. If you get emotional, you lose. So you have to stay very composed and very emotionless when you\u2019re out there. By the time you step in the cage, it doesn\u2019t matter if you hate the guy or you think he\u2019s the best bloke in the world, you\u2019re so cold and calculated at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n

Check out Dan Hooker\u2019s comments below (4:04):<\/p>\n<\/p>\n