Dan Hooker: Oliveira, Poirier, Gaethje will 'all want something I have' after UFC 305

Dan Hooker believes he'll be the envy of the lightweight division after UFC 305.

The card goes down this Saturday in Perth, Australia. While most eyes will be on the Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya main event, New Zealand's Dan Hooker will have the opportunity to shake up the lightweight rankings when he takes on Poland's Mateusz Gamrot earlier on the main card.

Heading into the fight, Hooker is ranked No. 11 in the division, while Gamrot is ranked a substantial six spots ahead, at No. 5.

Hooker is also riding back-to-back wins heading into the fight, and stands to move onto a three-fight streak in victory — something that higher ranked contenders like Charles Oliveira, Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje and Michael Chandler do not have.

That, the Kiwi believes, will put him in a great position in the division.

"I love that sexy little number [Gamrot] has next to his name,” Hooker told the media ahead of UFC 305, referencing his opponent’s No. 5 ranking. “That’s what I’m coming for.

“[A win] completely changes the direction. A lot of the big names in the division are all coming off loss. Oliveira, Poirier, Gaethje, Chandler, all of these guys are going to want something I have, which is going to be a three-fight win streak.”

Hooker is currently riding a decision win over Jalin Turner, and a TKO win over Claudio Puelles.

Oliveira is riding a decision loss to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300, while Gaethje has not fought since a knockout loss to Max Holloway on the same night. Poirier, meanwhile, is fresh off a submission defeat to champion Islam Makhachev. Chandler, finally, has not fought since a late 2022 submission loss to Poirier.

Hooker is a big underdog against Gamrot, a former KSW champion who is riding wins over Jalin Turner, Rafael Fiziev, and Rafael dos Anjos. Beating the Polish fighter, who is known for his suffocating wrestling, will not be easy, but the New Zealander said he's spent most of his camp fighting off takedowns, with training partners "diving at his legs" for six weeks.

"I can’t say it’s the most fun I’ve had [in camp], but getting hit in the head a lot less, it’s not bad," he said.