Dan Hooker has scored a split decision win over Jalin Turner in their lightweight bout at UFC 290 in Las Vegas.
The first round was contested on the feet, and showcased Hooker’s kickboxing against Turner’s boxing, Turner countering the Kiwi and getting the better of the exchanges.
Turner took control for the majority of the second round, including landing a big head kick on Hooker that had the Kiwi on the backfoot, however in the final minute Hooker brought the fight to the American, rocking him and locking in a rear naked choke as the round ended. Turner hadn’t seemed to recover by the time the third round started, allowing Hooker to bring the pace on the American. Turner was able to take Hooker down however Hooker was able to quickly get back to his feet, dropping Turner and maintaining top control.
After the fight, commentator Joe Rogan asked Hooker about a possible arm injury he sustained during the fight. Hooker said, ‘It’s Just a scratch, we’ll have to see.’
‘Tough times don’t last, Dan Hooker does.’ the Kiwi said.
Hooker seemed to be keeping his arm still towards the latter half of the fight, as well as after the fight had finished.
Once out of the cage, Hooker shared a photo of an x-ray of a broken arm on his social media.
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— Dan Hangman Hooker (@danthehangman) July 9, 2023
“The Hangman” came into this fight off a win, walking away from his last bout with a TKO victory over Claudio Puelles at UFC 281 in November 2022.
Turner suffered a loss in his last bout, losing a split decision to Mateusz Gamrot, at UFC 285 in April.
The two were originally set to fight at UFC 285, however the bout was cancelled due to Hooker suffering a hand injury, and Gamrot stepped in.
Hooker’s record now sits at 23-12, and Turner’s now reads 13-7.
