Connect with us

fight news

UFC 290: Dan Hooker looking to show latest evolution in ‘exciting … – New Zealand Herald

Published

on





Share this article
Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.
Dan Hooker beat Claudio Puelles in impressive fashion in his most recent UFC appearance. Photo / Getty Images
Heading into his 10th year with the UFC, Dan Hooker isn’t done evolving.
With freshly dyed white blonde hair and newly inked tattoos on his back and legs, Hooker will look like a new man
“The day you stop evolving in this sport is a very bad day,” Hooker tells the Herald. “This game is constantly evolving. You can look at mixed martial arts and you can look at the way the teams and the best gyms in the world approach it. That’s something that’s constantly in evolution, that’s constantly in motion.
“You can’t just sit on those laurels forever. Nothing is infinite in this sport, it’s constantly in flow and in motion, so you have to keep up with the time.”
Hooker’s bout against Turner will be his first outing of 2023 after having to withdraw from a previous booking against the American earlier in the year with a broken hand. The bout had a momentary cloud over it at weigh-ins on Saturday morning. While Hooker tipped the scales at 155.5lbs (70.5kg), however, Turner came in two pounds (about 1kg) above the 156lbs limit for a lightweight non-title fight. A fighter missing weight can lead to the bout being cancelled, however Hooker elected to take the fight at a catchweight and Turner will forfeit 20 per cent of his purse for the fight.
It’s a chance for Hooker to build upon his impressive second-round TKO win over Claudio Puelles last November, although he faces a much tougher assignment in Turner – who sits at No 11 in the rankings, one spot above Hooker.
The win over Puelles halted a rough skid for Hooker, who had lost four of his five previous bouts – all against opponents ranked in the top five of their divisions. Heading into that bout, questions were being raised as to where the Kiwi veteran sat in the division, but he answered those in emphatic fashion.
Or so it seemed. While recovering from his hand injury, he messaged his manager about trying to book a matchup against a top contender who had just recently fought for his return to action.
He was offended by the response he got back.
“They go ‘we asked for Tony Ferguson’.”
Not so long ago, Dan Hooker squaring off against Tony Ferguson would have been a bout that could headline a card. But Ferguson has fallen away in recent years; his last win was more than four years ago and he has long dropped out of the rankings.
The fight might still be one that sells on name value alone, but name value isn’t what gets Hooker out of bed in the morning.
“I didn’t even respond to the message to my management. That was my physical response, that wasn’t something I had to think about. Like, I read that and I was just like, fire. It lit a fire under my ass.
“I want to be a contender, I want to be competing against guys at the top, I want to fight the prospects, I want to fight the guys that people don’t want to fight, that’s what motivates me to do this sport, not big money and things like that. I want to work my way towards the best guys in the world.”
He gets his wish in Turner – a man who has needed fewer than two full rounds to get the job done in five of his last six fights. The winner likely faces off against an opponent in the top 10 next.
It shapes up as a fan-friendly encounter and one capable of stealing fight of the night honours. Both Hooker and Turner are well-rounded mixed martial artists with the skills to be effective in every aspect. That shows in their finishing records, with 31 of their combined 35 career wins coming by stoppage.
“I’m just excited to get out there and test my skills against Jalin. Whatever comes with that comes with that, but it’s an incredibly exciting opportunity,” Hooker says.
“I got asked today ‘are you looking for a finish in this fight?’ and it’s like, ‘mate, I’m always looking for a finish.’ That is predominantly what I’m focusing on.
“Even if I take someone down, it’s because I’m looking for a finish. If I’m stalling them out, it’s because I’m setting up a finish later on. If it looks boring, it’s because I am trying to switch that man off a little later on in the play, a little later on in the fight. Be patient.”
Tale of the tape: Hooker | Turner
Record: 22-12 | 13-6
Wins by stoppage: 18 (11 KO, 7 sub) | 13 (9 KO, 4 sub)
Reach: 190cm | 195cm
Height: 183cm | 191cm
Share this article
Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.
All the Pacific Four action between the Black Ferns and Canada.

source



fight news

2 arrested, after another fight breaks out at Big E opening weekend – Western Massachusetts News

Published

on





WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) – Another fight caught on camera at the Big E over the weekend that led to two arrests.
It took about a dozen West Springfield officers to stop the fight that broke out here Sunday night with the whole ordeal ending with two people in handcuffs.
A video is show of the dramatic and hectic scene around 10: 30 p.m. on Sunday night.
LEARN MORE: Fairgoers react to viral video of brawl on Big E’s opening night
West Springfield Police told us a fight erupted involving several people, when police got there, they saw a man, later identified as Nasiah Figueroa, repeatedly punching another man.
After police attempted to restrain the 20-year-old, he can be seen kicking a man in the face, injuring his nose.
In the end, West Springfield Police arrested and charged Figueroa with disorderly conduct and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
Police told us Francesca Lopez was also involved in the ordeal, the 20-year-old charged with resisting arrest and trespass after they said she refused to leave the fairgrounds and also made several attempts to get closer to Figueroa after the fight was over.
This isn’t the first violent event to break out here at the Big E this year, on the fair’s opening day, a different brawl took place.
LEARN MORE: Brawl breaks out outside Midway on day one of the Big E
Now, with two fights happening within the fair’s first weekend, Big E officials along with the local police department are revamping security protocols.
According to the West Springfield Police Department:
“Extra patrols will be added inside the Big E, with assistance from the Massachusetts State Police and the Hampden County Sheriff’s office. We will also be getting mutual aid assistance from several western Mass. police agencies offering their K-9 services.”
Given the recent uptick of violence finding its way on social media, police suggested all this may be a result of people trying to become Tik Tok famous.
Copyright 2023. Western Mass News (WGGB/WSHM). All rights reserved.

source



Continue Reading

fight news

'They could have killed my son.' Mom calling SROs to return after … – KSTP

Published

on





A fight inside Mankato East High School last week Friday is re-igniting the debate over school resource officers in Minnesota. In a video taken in the hallways of the school building, school officials say about 10 students were involved in that brawl. One of the students assaulted was Nashawn William’s son. 
“I was upset,” said Williams. “He had a blood clot in his right eye at the bottom and his upper torso was swollen…They could have killed my son stomping him on the floor, like you all saw the video, they could have killed my son.”
The fight comes after Supt. Paul Peterson told families in an email this month that “SROs will not be physically located at MAPS schools but will be available on an ‘on call’ basis to assist school staff.”
Scott Hare, Director of Student Support Services with Mankato Area Public Schools, said police were called in to break up the fight. He added that if an SRO had been in the building, the situation would have looked different.
“Having an officer on site, they’re right there. It’s very fast. It will take a couple of minutes for other officers to arrive through 911,” said Hare. “An SRO can read the situation and make the correct judgment call on the type of support that they would need to bring in.”
A new law prohibits SROs from placing a student in a face-down position and bans certain holds on the head, neck and across most of the torso. Besides Mankato, at least a dozen other law enforcement agencies have pulled their SROs across the state arguing the law would prevent them from doing their job. 
RELATED: Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association meets with attorney general over new school resource officer law
“Once you take that presence out of the school, everybody feels like they can run around because they know the teachers can’t do anything,” said Williams. 
Elizabeth Hanke is a parent within the school district and believes the state is overreaching by getting involved with placing policies at schools. 
“We need more local government and community involvement. We need to give authority and agency back to our teachers and police officers, and still be able to hold them accountable for when they’re not doing their jobs effectively,” said Hanke. 
Last month, Attorney General Keith Ellison said what’s written in the law is clear, however, Governor Tim Walz’s office tells 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS Walz remains open to a special session addressing this matter. 
Any person with disabilities who needs help accessing the content of the FCC Public File may contact KSTP via our online form or call 651-646-5555
This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
© KSTP-TV, LLC
A Hubbard Broadcasting Company

  • KSTP Follow

  • ABC 45TV KSTC Me TV

    Antenna TV Defy This TV H&I TV

  • ABC 45TV KSTC Me TV
    Antenna TV Defy This TV H&I TV

    source



    Continue Reading

    fight news

    Boxing News: Fight Week » September 26, 2023 – Fight News

    Published

    on





    The last Fight Week prior to the mega Fulton-Inoue/Spence-Crawford showdowns offers up some interesting action.
    FRIDAY
    Thompson Boxing sadly bids farewell after 23 years of promoting boxing in Southern California. Their final show is headlined by welterweight Louie Lopez (13-2-1, 4 KOs) against an opponent TBA. You can catch the action on YouTube and Facebook.
    SATURDAY
    ESPN presents former undisputed lightweight champion George “Ferocious” Kambosos Jr. (20-2, 10 KOs) against Maxi Hughes (26-5-2, 5 KOs) in a twelve round IBF world title eliminator from the FireLake Arena in Shawnee, Oklahoma.
    UFC Fightpass has exciting junior middleweight KO artist Serhii “El Flaco” Bohachuk (22-1, 22 KOs) against former world title challenger Patrick Allotey (42-4, 32 KOs) at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California.
    ProBox TV has a pro fight card from the Radisson Victoria Plaza in Montevideo, Uruguay, with middleweight Amilcar Vidal Jr (16-1, 12 KOs) rebounding from his first loss against Domicio Rondon (17-5, 11 KOs).
    So we have a fighter from Australia against a UK fighter at a venue on Oklahoma. Looks like this one will go the distance!
    My thoughts (re the fighters and venue) exactly but why do you think that this means a distance fight?
    Am I ridiculous for thinking that Hughes has a chance in this one, Pete?? He’s been on a nice little run as of late against some decent guys including a former world champion, albeit a blown-up featherweight.
    I was just thinking the same. Maxi is on a nice run; If you take away the win against a mentally and physically compromised Teo, has George done much?
    Getting whitewashed against Haney twice and close wins against Bet and Selby doesn’t make a great resume. I think Maxi is a live dog.
    Don’ think so-has five losses and not much KO power. Kambosos pretty average as well but should have enough to beat this guy.
    Only time he got f’d up was vs someone who wore Reyes gloves. As long as Kambosos isn’t wearing those, Hughes may not be psyched out. He like kept the Reyes gloves and showed them off about how much he hated the padding and feel to them. It was in a YouTube video.
    I think he does have a chance. I always felt the stars aligned perfect for Kambosos when he fought Lopez. Lopez was overconfident and fought a fight that gave Kambosos a chance. Plus he was better at taking Lopez’s power then we thought which I also think caught Lopez off guard. Other then that, like Streetgang said…what else has he really done that separates him from Hughes? I maybe in the minority but I thought Selby beat him.
    So yes I think Hughes could outpoint him. I am not sure if that is my pick but it is a reasonable outcome. Just to clarify when I earlier said it would go the distance I was referring to their KO % …that comment had nothing to do with the venue which I do not think will be relevant as to whether it goes the distance or not.
    I remember the Selby fight and thinking it was close but Lee may have nicked it.
    I will be pulling for Maxi, George has become a bit unbearable for me.
    I think I might just take this week off and just save the excitement for next weekend

    Session expired
    Please log in again. The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page.

    source



    Continue Reading

    Trending