'The Hangman' Hooker aiming for Japan, hoping Entwistle loses his UFC dream

New Zealand native Daniel Hooker (11-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) may be just one fight into his UFC career, but he knows exactly what he wants to do next – and he doesn’t want his weekend opponent joining for the ride.

“Fighting, to me, is all about respect, and he just didn’t show any respect,” Hooker said following his UFC Fight Night 43 win over Ian Entwistle. “He was very disrespectful to my team, and that’s what this is all about, so he can jog on.”

The pre-fight tension between the two featherweights didn’t register much outside of the two fighters’ local markets, but it certainly bothered “The Hangman.” He was able to extract revenge in the cage, as he survived an early and extended leg-lock attempt en route to scoring a first-round TKO.

“It was all under control,” Hooker said. “I’ve been just drilling them every day. I spend probably an hour or and hour-and-a-half every day on leg locks. In the back of my head, I was kind of like, ‘I’d like to see if he can leg lock me,’ so I kind of let it happen. I regret doing that. I shouldn’t have let it happen, but I just kind of let it go to that position just to kind of see if he could.”

UFC Fight Night 43 took place Saturday at Vector Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. The entire card streamed on UFC Fight Pass, with the Hooker vs. Entwistle matchup taking place on the evening’s preliminary card.

As he kept his leg secure, Hooker started to work in a series of short punches. Eventually, he turned those to elbows, and a non-stop barrage of the blows forced referee Steve Perceval to step in and halt the fight at the 3:34 mark of the first round.

Entwistle protested the stoppage, and Hooker admits even he was a little disappointed the fight was called off, as he had hoped to deliver a little bit more punishment.

“I had no problem if that had kept going, to be honest,” Hooker said. “I was landing some elbows, and I kind of slowed down because I saw the ref was coming in. I was like, ‘Ah.’

“I was a bit gutted it was going to finish, but that’s the way it is. He’s just a few chromosomes short, man.”

Entwistle, who utilized social media while lobbying for his spot on the New Zealand card, said he hopes to fight again in September, joining fellow Kiwi Mark Hunt on the UFC Fight Night 52 card in Saitama, Japan. And just as soon as he gets some more credits on his cell plan, he’ll be launching another campaign.

“I want to get put on the Japan card: Mark Hunt and Roy Nelson – ‘Hangman’ for Japan,” Hooker said. “When I get some credit, I’m going to top up and start that. So it’s not out officially yet, but as soon as I top up, you wait, man.”

And as for Entwistle, who was sliced open from the elbows that eventually ended the fight, Hooker hopes that’s the last he’ll see of the UFC’s famed octagon.

“I don’t let that kind of stuff get to me really, but I hope that’s not the only time he gets cut,” Hooker said.

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 43, check out the UFC Events section of the site.