The lightweight bout served as the co-main event in Sydney, where Benoit Saint Denis delivered a dominant performance. Saint Denis grounded Hooker in the second round, poured on pressure with submission threats, and eventually finished the fight with a knockout after sustained ground-and-pound.
The result carried extra weight given the heated feud between Hooker and Pimblett in the buildup. Pimblett had previously mocked Hooker’s grappling with a crude comment involving his mother, while Hooker fired back by referencing the death of one of Pimblett’s close friends. The exchange drew heavy criticism and set the stage for a bitter rivalry.
“Nice to see Dan get TKO’d after the shit he was chatting,” Pimblett said in a video posted on his YouTube channel. “He probably enjoyed me losing last week. That was probably a generational hate watch for him. I never got finished, though.”
Pimblett is coming off his own setback after losing a unanimous decision to Justin Gaethje in the UFC 324 main event. Gaethje outstruck Pimblett across five rounds to secure the interim lightweight title, handing the Liverpool native his first UFC loss. Despite the defeat, Pimblett appeared far more interested in Saint Denis than reigniting his feud with Hooker.
“I really like Benoit Saint Denis,” Pimblett said. “I think he’s a proper nice fella, and I like his fighting style. He comes to bang, proper like Saint Denis. I hope he does well, but obviously if he’s next for me, he’s getting finished.”
Saint Denis wasted no time calling for bigger opportunities after his win. He mentioned names like Gaethje, Max Holloway, Charles Oliveira, and Arman Tsarukyan, but Pimblett did not make the list.
As for Hooker, Pimblett delivered one final jab before moving on. “Hooker, unlucky, mate.”
The loss marked Hooker’s second straight defeat following his submission loss to Tsarukyan last November. With his place in the lightweight rankings now in question, Hooker has already begun calling for a rebound fight, targeting Michael Chandler for a rematch.
For Pimblett, the focus appears to be forward. While the rivalry with Hooker remains unresolved, the Brit seems more interested in fresh matchups and climbing back into title contention after his first stumble inside the Octagon.
