Dan Hooker admits he prefers early stoppage for teammate Israel Adesanya following UFC 281 loss

UFC lightweight contender, Dan Hooker has admitted that while the fighter in him would like to see more opportunities for his fellow combatants to survive and overcome adversity in the Octagon, he admits he prefers an early stoppage – particularly when it comes to teammates following Israel Adesanya’s fifth round TKO loss at UFC 281.

Featuring in a main card opener at Madison Square Garden against the surging Peruvian grappler, Claudio Puelles, Hooker managed to survive an abundance of imanari roll attempts from the submission, ace before turning in a second round body kick knockout victory. 

Headlining the event, Hooker’s teammate and training partner, Adesanya, suffered a fifth round knockout loss to challenger, Alex Pereira – dropping his undisputed middleweight championship. 

In the aftermath of the main event fight, Adesanya voiced his displeasure to see the fight stopped by referee, Marc Goddard, however, failed to criticize the stoppage entirely. 

Dan Hooker shares his thoughts on the controversial UFC 281 headliner stoppage

Sharing his thoughts on his teammate’s defeat at UFC 281, Hooker admitted that he preferred to see fights containing training partners called early rather than too late.

“It’s a weird line to walk,” Dan Hooker told Submission Radio. “Even as a friend, because I know what he’s capable of, and because I’ve been there in the past. You have to absolutely kill (me). You say that as the fighter. You go, ‘Make sure I’m dead.’ They know me, I don’t even have to say it… You, as the fighter, is always gonna think that.”

“Me, watching it as a friend, I just want him (Israel Adesanya) to be alright,” Dan Hooker continued. “As a friend, and as a teammate, I’d rather it too early than too late. As a fighter, obviously you’re like, ‘Make sure I’m really not moving,’ but as a friend, as a teammate, I would prefer it to be too early than too late.” (Transcribed by MMA News)