During a recent interview with Submission Radio, Hooker shared his thoughts on why Ferguson has lost two in a row during the pandemic.

“It’s pretty obvious to me what’s happened.” – Dan Hooker

Dan Hooker knows about the hardship of fighting during a pandemic. After showcasing his skills in front of a sold-out stadium in his hometown of Auckland, New Zealand, to fighting at the UFC Apex in the middle of the pandemic, Hooker stated there’s a big difference between the two.

It’s pretty obvious to me what’s happened. Tony’’s a crowd fighter, he draws energy from the crowd Under those big moments, under the pressure, 10, 20, 30-thousand people there, you can’t tell me that doesn’t change the environment of the situation. And Charles Oliveira, to me, he’s a fighter that traditionally doesn’t do very well under the pressure of those big fights. You look at any big fight he’s had in his past, and he freezes, or he’ll crumble under the pressure of those big fights. So, to me, that’s what it was. Tony wasn’t awake. Tony didn’t look like he’d been riled up. And Charles Oliveira was in the zone, in his element, and freely doing his thing.

Dan Hooker on Submission Radio

“My opinion is that Charles Oliveira is still a p*ssy” – Dan Hooker

Hooker’s last bout in the octagon was against Dustin Poirier which in my opinion is the 2020 UFC Fight Of The Year. Hooker lost the fight via unanimous decision, but he’s still

“I’m only one man, I only have my opinion. My opinion is that Charles Oliveira is still a p*ssy. Nah, I’m just having a bit of a laugh. He’s just not, he’s a bit whatever to me. He didn’t do anything amazing. He just did some basic fundamental stuff to Tony Ferguson, and Tony Ferguson had no real answer for it. To me he just hadn’t been drilling his fundamentals for a while, and it’s a game of improving your fundamentals and working on them. That’s just the way I saw it.

Dan Hooker on Submission Radio

Although Hooker is coming off of a loss, the fight against Oliveira is intriguing. The Lightweight division is as stacked as it gets, and now that Oliveira is #3 in the rankings he’ll most likely fight Gaethje next or the winner of McGregor vs Poirier.