Daniel Cormier has criticized Dan Hooker for becoming too comfortable with the gatekeeper role and explained why he believes that mindset could hurt the veteran.<\/p>\n
Former UFC<\/a> two-division champion Daniel Cormier slams Dan Hooker\u2019s approach to the latter stages of his career. Cormier suggested that the lightweight veteran has become too comfortable with his role as a gatekeeper.<\/p>\n Hooker’s recent performances have gone from bad to worse. The criticism has increased after accepting the fight against Salahdine Parnasse<\/a>, who was making his UFC debut. \u2018The Hangman\u2019 couldn’t last a single round against Parnasse at UFC Paris last weekend. This veteran’s performance is facing tremendous backlash from the MMA community.\u00a0<\/p>\n Daniel Cormier blasts Dan Hooker for accepting gatekeeper status<\/p>\n In the build-up to the fight, Hooker revealed that he is making a huge payday for the Parnasse fight and even joked that if the UFC offers him Francis Ngannou for that much, he will accept. He went further and said that if Usman Nurmagomedov<\/a>, the PFL<\/a> champion, gets signed by the UFC, he would already be ready to welcome him, since no top-ranked fighter would take that risk.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, Hooker<\/a> was brutally finished in the first round at 2:35, leaving fans shocked, as the veteran is known for his resilience and for delivering wars.<\/p>\n Cormier weighed in on Hooker\u2019s loss and believes the veteran\u2019s willingness to embrace the gatekeeper label has become a problem, particularly when he publicly accepts that role before stepping into the octagon.\u00a0<\/p>\n “When people hear they’re a gatekeeper, they’re mad and fight that with all they can. Dan Hooker seemed to be embracing that. I think there’s too much acceptance, too much comfort in that,\u201d Cormier said in his recent YouTube video.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cormier feels the approach of Hooker heading into the fight needs to change, highlighting how his fight ended with Parnasse.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou do that before the fight, and then the fight goes the way it did — that’s really, really not good for Dan Hooker.”<\/p>\n Check out Daniel Cormier’s comments below:\u00a0<\/p>\n