Dan Hooker is embracing his role as the villain ahead of UFC Paris, but the veteran lightweight admits he didn’t expect the backlash to reach this level.
The UFC recently announced that Dan Hooker will headline UFC Paris on September 5 against highly touted newcomer Salahdine Parnasse. The former two-division KSW champion arrives in the UFC with significant hype after building an impressive résumé outside the promotion, including a viral knockout victory earlier this year.
While Parnasse hopes to make an immediate statement in his UFC debut, Hooker plans to play spoiler once again.
The New Zealand fan favorite enters the matchup looking to snap a two-fight losing streak following defeats to Benoit Saint-Denis and Arman Tsarukyan. A victory over one of the UFC’s most anticipated signings could quickly put Hooker back in the lightweight title conversation.
As the fight approaches, however, Dan Hooker says he’s already dealing with an unexpected challenge: a flood of abuse and death threats from Parnasse’s supporters.
Speaking during a recent interview with Submission Radio, Hooker revealed the shocking messages he’s received since the fight was announced.
“I’m here to ruin hopes and dreams. This kid wants to come in, make a name for himself, crack the top 10, and become a superstar. Well, I’m going to fly to France, and I’m going to f— everyone’s night up. That is my plan.”
Hooker then addressed the reaction from some French fans, admitting he was caught off guard by the volume of hostile messages.
“The death threats have been outrageous. I didn’t get it when I fought Benoit Saint-Denis. French people have been speaking French and telling me I’m going to die and telling me they’re going to kill me.”
The longtime UFC contender said the response has been far more intense than anything he experienced before his previous fight against Saint-Denis, another French favorite.
“I think maybe because BSD is such a respectful guy, the people who follow and support him aren’t complete f—ing c—s. But whoever this c—’s fans are, they’re outrageous.”
Despite the negativity, Dan Hooker is using the criticism as fuel heading into one of the biggest fights of the year for the UFC’s European market.
Rather than allowing the comments to distract him, Hooker is more motivated than ever to silence the crowd and derail Parnasse’s highly anticipated UFC debut.
“It’s going to feel pretty sweet shutting this kid’s lights out and making these guys eat their words.”
Hooker has built a reputation throughout his UFC career by ending hype trains. He has previously scored memorable victories over fighters such as James Vick, Jalin Turner, and Marc Diakiese, and now he intends to add another name to that list.
The veteran understands exactly what’s at stake. Parnasse enters the Octagon with the momentum of a future star, while Hooker sees an opportunity to remind the division why he’s remained one of the UFC’s toughest and most dangerous lightweights.
“I’m here to ruin hopes and dreams. This kid wants to come in, make a name for himself, crack the top 10. He wants to be a superstar, but I’m going to fly to France and f— everyone’s night up. That’s my plan.”
With the UFC Paris main event fast approaching, Dan Hooker appears more than ready to embrace hostile territory. Whether the French crowd loves him or hates him, Hooker only cares about one thing: leaving Paris with a statement victory and putting himself back in the lightweight title conversation.
