Dan hooker has knocked out Gilbert Burns in the first round at UFC 226 in Las Vegas this morning.
Hooker persevered through an aggressive attack early on from Brazil’s Gilbert Burns, before knocking him down with a thunderous left hook and following up with strikes on the ground. Achieving a TKO victory at the 2.28-minute mark of the very first round.
For a fight that only lasted half a round, it produced a ton of action that saw both fighters having success with their offense.
Hooker eats the right hand and then just DROPS Burns with the left! Wow!#UFC226 @DanTheHangman pic.twitter.com/CWRVdbe1kj
— UFC (@ufc) July 7, 2018
Coming into this bout, Gilbert Burns (6-2 UFC) was riding a two-fight KO winning streak, and that power was prevalent in the first minute of the bout as the former BJJ world champion attacked Dan Hooker (6-3 UFC) with heavy punches to the head, and powerful kicks to the New Zealander’s lead leg. However, as usual, Hooker seemed unfazed by the onslaught and it didn’t take him long to find his rhythm. Hooker dropped Burns with a stunningly fast right, Burns got back up to his feet and immediately shot for a takedown. But things got dicey for Burns as Hooker attacked the BJJ Black Belt’s neck with a seemingly tight guillotine choke. Before long, the pair were back on their feet, and both men looked content to slug it out some more.
It was here that Hooker’s striking acumen was most obvious, and within 30 seconds, Burns was laying on the canvas being saved by the referee. In the final sequence, Hooker stifled Burn’s forward aggression with a few long jabs, before firing a solid knee upstairs, and following up with a hard left hook shortly afterward. The hook dropped Burns, and a prompt hammer fist to the grounded Brazilian’s head was all the referee needed to see before waving it off.
Hooker looked absolutely sensational, and this performance marks his fourth straight win. Is his post fight speech, Hooker called for a fight with a top ten fighter, and after yet another stunning performance, it would be incredibly difficult to argue that he doesn’t deserve precisely that.
The win is Hooker’s fourth straight since moving up a weight class to the lightweight division, with one submission and three knockout victories.
