Dan Hooker's case , Eugene Bareman & City Kickboxing

[Xoleth]

He has a topcoach, who coaches 2 defending UFC champions

He has a great reach, FW or LW, I think the only guy who had a better reach at LW recently was James Vick and that because he was a fucking MW.

He has top sparring parters, technical fighters, like Adesanya, Volk, even Riddell, Kai, Ulberg.

He's (or was) a guy who can endure a lot of punishment (see the Barboza fight), athletic.

Can't Bareman teach him some "be smart, be pacient, don't go into his fists"?
Can't he teach his some distance control, having a better technique, actually learn something from Adesanya, Riddell and Volk?

 

[Portland8242]

He is not Volkanovski's head coach. He's a complimentary role of coaching in his striking. With the pandemic Volk hasn't been able to do much with him.

 

[Young Calf Kick]

He’s just not that good.

 

[NationWideNinja]

He’s way too slow. He moves and punches like hes underwater

 

[sherdogwantedtonamemekiki]

Funny. I don't remember that fight getting stopped. I honestly thought Barboza whipped him for 3 straight rounds.

 

[Sasha]

He kinda endured that punishment tonight too, the ref just gave him a few more months of mental sanity. Any of those punches would've slept me or a lot of people for that matter, the guy striked like a mad lad

 

[don't ask]

that's wild. Don't think I've seen that before.

 

[KazDibiase]

Wear and tear will catch up to you sooner or later.

 

[Tapatio]

He’s just not that good.

That could be it

 

[MadNIghtKing]

He has a topcoach, who coaches 2 defending UFC champions

He has a great reach, FW or LW, I think the only guy who had a better reach at LW recently was James Vick and that because he was a fucking MW.

He has top sparring parters, technical fighters, like Adesanya, Volk, even Riddell, Kai, Ulberg.

He's (or was) a guy who can endure a lot of punishment (see the Barboza fight), athletic.

Can't Bareman teach him some "be smart, be pacient, don't go into his fists"?
Can't he teach his some distance control, having a better technique, actually learn something from Adesanya, Riddell and Volk?

Maybe being in gym wars at City Kickboxing and Tiger Muay Thai is part of the downfall.

 

[Substance Abuse]

Funny. I don't remember that fight getting stopped. I honestly thought Barboza whipped him for 3 straight rounds.

Edson did whip him for about twelve minutes. Dan is tough. Too tough for his own good in the past. He's better than he showed today, but Allen is very good and the cut was a horrible idea. I also think those wars are taking a toll on him. Dan needs some time off.

 

[Orochimaru 大蛇丸]

Some of yall wayyyyyy overestimate coaching, talent is what it's all about, Israel would be the champ if he trained in any of the top gyms

 

[JonnyBonesPharmacist]

I think maybe Hookers time has passed by

 

[Orochimaru 大蛇丸]

Edson did whip him for about twelve minutes. Dan is tough. Too tough for his own good in the past. He's better than he showed today, but Allen is very good and the cut was a horrible idea. I also think those wars are taking a toll on him. Dan needs some time off.

I'm kinda confused about the wars changing him though, he still has a crazy chin. I'd love to have someone clear this up for me because I'm legitimately confused about this, I always thought a lot of wars meant the loss of chin and durability... he doesn't seem diminished really, he just keeps going out there and throwing 40% punches with no set ups, no distance management, it's like he just started fighting really poorly, it seems like that happened after the wars, but I don't really understand why.

 

[HI SCOTT NEWMAN]

If anything I think he needs to go to WW, 145 is the last place on earth he should be, his frame is like a 200 Ibs guy, but he is so skinny, I'm willing to bet if he goes to WW he will be able to take the shots much better and he won't keep getting rocked all the time. All this losing weight and starving yourself because you lost a fight is ridiculous and it never ends in a good way, they just can't take the shots. Lets remember Arnold is a good fighter but he is a decision machine, he just can't finish anyone in UFC, especially not with strikes.. he is solid but not good at finishing at all

He needs to put on weight and trust me if he does he will be able to take the shots much better. He is 6'1'' . He will end up like Dillashaw and Cody if he keeps being so underweight, his chin wont hold up.

 

[Substance Abuse]

I'm kinda confused about the wars changing him though, he still has a crazy chin. I'd love to have someone clear this up for me because I'm legitimately confused about this, I always thought a lot of wars meant the loss of chin and durability... he doesn't seem diminished really, he just keeps going out there and throwing 40% punches with no set ups, no distance management, it's like he just started fighting really poorly, it seems like that happened after the wars, but I don't really understand why.

Dan seems shop worn to me. He's taken some massive beatings in the past. He's also not approaching fights the right way style wise, which you mentioned. He may not have gone out clean from those punches but he definitely was not reacting to them like he used to, which to be fair, could have a lot to do with that weight cut.

I'm also not 100% down on Hooker either. Yes, he's not elite and he got finished in the first his last two fights but he did beat Nasrat before those. He needs to go back to 155 and fight lesser competition, in my opinion.

 

[gluehuffer1776]

bareman=kiwi edmund

 

[Orochimaru 大蛇丸]

Dan seems shop worn to me. He's taken some massive beatings in the past. He's also not approaching fights the right way style wise, which you mentioned. He may not have gone out clean from those punches but he definitely was not reacting to them like he used to, which to be fair, could have a lot to do with that weight cut.

I'm also not 100% down on Hooker either. Yes, he's not elite and he got finished in the first his last two fights but he did beat Nasrat before those. He needs to go back to 155 and fight lesser competition, in my opinion.

Yeah that's a good point, he didn't react well to the shots at all. I'd just like to see him go out there and look like he's fighting not sparring before I totally write him off, I would also like to see him try to wrestle more as he did against Nasrat. People are totally writing him off as broken after the wars.

I'd like to see that as well, but unfortunately, with the way the UFC is, they probably see him as a guy they've squeezed about all they can out of, and will give him a couple of up and comers to build their name off of. This one's a bummer, he was never champ material, but he is better than how people will remember him.

 

[Krixes]

Love Dan but he needs a layup in his next fight...

 

[Vespasian70AD]

Some of yall wayyyyyy overestimate coaching, talent is what it's all about, Israel would be the champ if he trained in any of the top gyms

Bareman is obviously a decent coach. But I think he’s vastly overrated in the same way John Kavanagh was when Conor burst onto the scene.

Some coaches just get kissed on the dick because a tremendously talented and hard working athlete happened to walk through their doors one day. Who as you say, would’ve likely become great wherever he went.

When Conor came along, everyone hyped up SBG and thought it would become a production line for great fighters. Instead we got Artem. James Gallagher, a ruined Gunnar Nelson, and that Charlie Ward guy that got KO’d via head spike throw.

When Izzy came along, everyone hyped up CKB and thought it would become a production line for great fighters. Kara-France is decent. But unlikely to trouble the top of the division. Riddell and Volkanovski both do more training away from CKB than they do with them. And Dan Hooker is tough and has heart. But has been found out.

TLDR version - Hooker is to Adesanya, as Artem Lobov was to Conor.