Dan Hooker vs. Gilbert Burns: What will go down:
A continental Lightweight clash headlines the UFC Fight Pass Prelims this weekend at UFC 226 as both New Zealand striker Dan 'Hangman' Hooker and talented Brazilian grappler Gilbert 'Durinho' Burns look to extend their impressive recent win streaks.
Hooker was handed a tough test against veteran Brit Ross Pearson after a unanimous decision loss to the then pulsating Jason Knight, scoring the first of three consecutive stoppage victories in an eye catching run for the Kiwi. The summer 2017 win over Pearson in his native Auckland highlighted Hooker's dangerous striking prowess, and subsequently earned him a clash with the talented Marc Diakiese.
At the curtain closer of 2017 at UFC 217, Hooker survived some of Diakiese's most dynamic striking to pull off a final round guillotine victory. Hooker had not only handed prospect Diakiese his premier career stoppage loss, but also extended his win streak to two since his Octagon bow in
2014 against Ian Entwistle.
Next up for Dan was a stern clash with ufc mainstay Jim Miller, on paper, his toughest MMA clash in his developing career to date. Entering as a slight favourite come fight night, Hooker displayed his wide array of possible fight ending weapons, stopping Miller in the opening two minutes with an expertly time knee. A win over the dangerous Burns would certainly see him close in on a top fifteen spot.
An incredibly decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner, Gilbert 'Durinho' Burns has established himself as an often tricky puzzle to solve since his UFC bow back in the summer of 2014, establishing a dazzling three fight win streak, impressively securing a patented armbar win over compatriot Alex 'Cowboy' Oliveira. The Rio de Janeiro No Gi specialist picked up a gold medal at the World Cup in 2010 and the following year added the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship's highest honour in California.
Interestingly, Burns' often unmatched grappling ability wasn't called upon in his two most recent Octagon appearances, knocking out both Jason Saggo and Dan Moret in the second round.
This is truely a striker versus grappling matchup, but Burns' explosive ability dating back to his submission grappling days makes him very capable of scoring
A knockout win. 'Durinho' is also the bigger man physically due to his history at Welterweight and Hooker's original fighting weight of 145lbs. Hooker has faced arguably the stiffer competition throughout their similar UFC stints.
Dan Hooker via unanimous decision.
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