Dan Hooker calls Brian Ortega 'old' while explaining quick UFC return

Dan Hooker was frustrated after his last defeat.

The New Zealander faced Ultimate Fighting Championship debutant Salahdine Parnasse in the main event of UFC Paris this past September and lost via technical knockout at 2:35 of the first round. Hooker is looking to make a quick turnaround and is now scheduled to fight Brian Ortega at UFC Qatar on Nov. 21. “The Hangman” recently opened up about why he’s returning to action just 77 days after his last bout.

Hooker said he was frustrated he couldn't show his improvements after a hard training camp for the Parnasse fight. He claims he would’ve taken more time in between fights if he had gone to war with the Frenchman for five rounds. While Hooker went down with the body kick from Parnasse in the opening frame, he didn’t suffer any serious injuries, hence the short turnaround.

“When you just get out there and don't really get to show anything, that's frustrating,” Hooker told Ariel Helwani. “I put in a really hard training camp, made some pretty big improvements in my consistency and training, and I just didn't get to show it… Then I saw Nolan was matched with Moicano, so I called my manager Ash and said, ‘F*ck, surely I can beat Brian Ortega.’ I was like, ‘F*ck, he's old as well. Surely, I can beat Brian Ortega.’ The UFC liked that fight, so I got it.”

While Hooker (24-15) is on a three-fight skid, Ortega (16-5, 1 NC) has lost four of his last five bouts.