Mark in Vegas
found it very easy to stay on track.’’
Hooker knows that road could be a short one. The winner this weekend is a strong possibility to fight whoever comes out on top from lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov’s upcoming date with Justin Gaethje – depending on what happens with the never-ending saga of Conor McGregor, who has seemingly had more retirements than fights.
‘‘It’s the biggest opportunity of my career,’’ Hooker said of his five-round fight with Poirier. ‘‘My life goal is to be world champion and I’m that close to it.’’
Poirier (25-6-0) won the interim lightweight belt with his win over featherweight champion Max Holloway at UFC 236, before running up impressive victories over Gaethje and Eddie Alvarez.
But he lost the belt with his third-round submission defeat to Nurmagomedov in a unification fight.
Poirier is a heavy favourite over Hooker, but the Kiwi fighter believes he can come out on top.
His outlook on the fight is as a win-win situation, with all the pressure on Poirier.
Hooker feels if he did lose he would only be one win away from jumping back into the top five.
‘‘Dustin’s the one in the hard spot. He’s in the win-lose situation. With a win, he doesn’t gain that much and with a loss, he slides down the rankings,’’
Today 2.45pm (approx NZT) on ESPN
Dustin Poirier $1.40 Dan Hooker $2.75
Hooker said. The Kiwi believes part of his relaxed attitude this week comes down to his last fight being in front of more than 10,000 New Zealanders at a soldout Spark Arena for the Felder fight.
This time it’s Poirier who is fighting at home, but there won’t be any fans in sight, and Hooker says their absence has been one of the biggest differences he’s noticed in a strange fight week.
‘‘I obviously like the fans and having them there but I didn’t realise I’d miss them this much. You gain a lot of energy from the fans.’’
But Hooker doesn’t see it being an issue by the time he enters the Octagon.
‘‘When you have a guy like Dustin Poirier standing in front of you trying to take your head off it’s actually pretty easy to get that adrenaline flowing.’’
And when the fight is done and Hooker makes his way back to New Zealand he still won’t escape the ever-changing world under the Covid-19 pandemic.
Win, lose or draw against Poirier, Hooker will go into a quarantine hotel for the mandatory 14 days on his return.
A frustrating but necessary break away from his family after what shapes as a career-defining fight.
THE drought continues for the Southern Steel.
The Mystics maintained their unbeaten run in the ANZ Premiership with a 46-42 victory over the Steel at the Auckland Netball Centre last night, their hustle and energy proving too irresistible for the southern visitors.
Four consecutive victories marks a fresh record for the Mystics, even though the players appeared surprised when the milestone was raised following the final whistle.
There’s something to be said for that – it shows they are focused on the immediate task and coach Helene Wilson should be pleased.
Watching an individual add some electricity to a team’s attack is often a pleasure, although when Wilson decided to thrust Saviour Tui into goal attack mid-way through the second quarter you wondered if she had pulled the trigger too quickly.
It turned out this was exactly what the Mystics needed when the scores were locked 17-17.
Adding Tui to the action ensured fellow shooter Grace Nweke received some muchneeded assistance after Asher Grapes struggled to get on the scoreboard, as the Mystics put the squeeze on their opponents.
Here’s what played out next: the Mystics, with Tui providing input with her accurate shooting, were ahead 24-20 at halftime and by three-quartertime they were up 37-29.
If the Mystics, who utilised defenders Sulu Fitzpatrick and Phoenix Karaka with the ‘Harrison Hoist’ to keep the heat on the Steel’s shooters, want to be picky they could acknowledge the Steel rattled them late in the game, as their opponents tried to salvage an unlikely win.
Still, they shouldn’t lack confidence as they prepare to meet the defending champion Pulse side tomorrow evening.
Quarter scores: 1Q: 13-12. HT: 11-8. 3Q: 13-9.
That should be a cracker. But spare a thought for the Steel, who must immediately switch their focus to the game against the Stars today.
At least the Steel can take some comfort from knowing they kept the pressure on the Mystics in the dying minutes and managed to salvage a losing bonus point.
When a team gives up eight intercepts in the first half alone, it’s difficult to get any momentum; the Steel paid the price on that score. The Mystic led 13-12 following the first quarter, with Nweke converting 13 from 15 and Steel’s Jennifer O’Connell slotted 10 from 11.
The third quarter was where the major damage was done for the Steel and they would have been disappointed with their 76 per cent conversion rate when shooting.
Now it’s just a matter of being positive. As captain Gina Crampton noted: ‘‘It’s just a matter of getting on with it.’’
The Tactix beat the Magic 45-36 in Auckland last Friday night.
Dustin Poirier v Dan Hooker
TAB odds: