Dan Hooker Praises Conor McGregor on Submission Radio

Dan Hooker (24-14 MMA, 14-10 UFC) may not have a fight on the schedule of events anytime soon, but he's been keeping tabs on the sport's No. 1 promotion in the five months since his Feb. 1 loss at the hands of Benoit Saint Denis (17-3, 1 NC MMA, 9-3 UFC.) That night, Saint Denis scored a second-round knockout with 15 seconds left on the clock.

Next up on the UFC's schedule is the finale of this year's International Fight Week, UFC 329 inside T-Mobile Arena in Enterprise, NV. The main event of the evening on the July 11 card in Vegas features an anticipated return inside the fabled Octagon.

In the headlining affair one week from Saturday night, Conor McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) will make his return to competition after a five-year hiatus when he fights Max Holloway (27-9 MMA, 23-9 UFC) in a welterweight nontitle main event. This five-round rematch at five minutes per round is McGregor's first scheduled appearance since June of 2024, when a planned fight against Michael Chandler was scrubbed due to injury.

Dan Hooker Discusses Max Holloway Fighting at 170 During Submission Radio Appearance

Recently, Dan Hooker appeared as a guest of Submission Radio, during which he discussed Conor McGregor's impending return to action in the Octagon. He believes the fact that Holloway is competing at welterweight is a critical aspect of his gameplan for the July 11 fight inside the Octagon

"At that weight, obviously, it changes pretty drastically," Dan Hooker said of Max Holloway switching to 170 for his rematch against Conor McGregor. "Max has been competing at featherweight and recently has had a couple of dust-ups at lightweight. I'm pretty sure he probably walks around about welterweight. Still, that's not where Conor has done his best work at 170."

He then complimented Holloway for his fighting acumen.

"Max is fast and for me, just competing at an elite level," Hooker continued. "Fighting's not something you can pick up and put down when you feel like it."

Dan Hooker on Conor McGregor's Return vs. Max Holloway July 11

By the time the cage door slams shut in Enterprise on July 11, five years and one day will have elapsed since Conor McGregor's last appearance in MMA. On the night of July 10, 2021 inside T-Mobile Arena, McGregor suffered a broken ankle in the first round of his contest versus Dustin Poirier, leading to the fight doctor halting the proceedings.

While Conor McGregor's been inactive in the sport for half of a decade due to injuries, Dan Hooker gave plaudit to the returning fighter ahead of his July 11 return to competition.

"That's a career-ender, the way that he snapped his leg and having to come back and rebuild from that," he said of McGregor's 2021 injury. "Credit to him, the guy's got more money than anyone else in the sport. There's no real need for him to step back in there and get out and compete again. Credit to him for still having that chip on his shoulder and something to prove."

Dan Hooker on His Own Return to Fighting

It's been five months since Dan Hooker fought in the Octagon. Since the Feb. 1 loss to Benoit Saint Denis in UFC 325 in Sydney, he's been waiting to get back into action.

Hooker mentioned that he could be returning to competition in a matter of months.

"I was on the phone talking to Hunter Campbell the other day," he said. "He was asking when am I good to go and I said September, October. I can't tell you that I've even looked at the rankings. When you get enough of a name or obviously, the UFC have to pay you enough money, they're not just going to throw me on the prelims of some random show. You're either going to be headlining or co-headlining or on a pay-per-view."