Justin Gaethje: Fight With Dan Hooker ‘Doesn’t Make Sense At All’

UFC lightweight contender Justin Gaethje shut down a recent callout from Dan Hooker.

Following his win over Al Iaquinta this past weekend, Hooker called out Dustin Poirier for a fight. Poirier responded saying he was waiting for a rematch with Conor McGregor instead.

So for Hooker, his attention would then go to Gaethje. However, he believed “The Highlight” would say the same thing:

“But then who do I ask next? Who’s next on the list?” Hooker said earlier this week. “”If you work your way down, then you got Justin Gaethje. What’s he going to say when I ask him? He’s going to say the exact same thing Dustin Poirier just said. He’s going to say ‘I’m waiting for the Irishman, I’m waiting for Conor McGregor.’

“Well you can’t both be waiting for Conor McGregor. Poirier and Gaethje can’t both fight him. One of you have to fight me.”

Gaethje — who is on a three-fight winning streak — caught wind of Hooker’s comments but believes accepting that bout would make no sense for him at this point:

“It doesn’t make sense at all,” Hooker told MMA Junkie. “Business-wise, it makes absolute zero sense. He just got his ass beat by Edson Barboza, so, for him to cross over that name and mention my name or Dustin Poirier’s name was kind of a (expletive) move.”

That said, Gaethje can’t fault Hooker for the callouts. However, he feels given his current position, he deserves to fight for the title next rather than the No. 7-ranked New Zealander:

“I shouldn’t knock him for it, because it’s what he should be doing,” Gaethje added. “It was a great win, great win, great performance, good for him. You know, if he keeps winning, then we’ll fight.

“He’s going to talk (expletive) about me, talk (expletive) about Poirier coming off a loss. But I have deserved, I deserve to be where I am at, and I don’t deserve to fight Dan Hooker.”

Do you agree with Gaethje?