Dan Hooker Submits Marc Diakiese With Picturesque Guillotine
Lightweight fireworks were certain to ensue when hyped striker Marc Diakiese took on New Zealand’s Dan Hooker on the main card of tonight’s (Sat., December 30, 2017) UFC 219 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Hailing from Congo, the now England-based Diakiese needed a win to rebound from his first MMA loss to Drakkar Klose in his prior fight. After an up-and-down UFC career, his opponent “Hangman” made a successful return to 155 pounds by knocking out veteran Ross Pearson with a highlight reel knee this past June.
The bout began somewhat slowly with Diakiese taking the center of the octagon and Hooker on the outside. Diakiese threw several kicks but nothing of real significance early on. The crowd grew restless as Diakiese avoided the little offense Hooker attempted. A spinning kick missed from “Bonecrusher,” who appeared stifled to a degree. He didn’t take much damage himself, however, and looked for a takedown after grabbing a kick attempt. Hooker defended it and landed a body kick to score a takedown at the tail end of the otherwise uneventful opening frame.
The second frame began with kicks from both fighters, and Diakiese was more aggressive. He scored a looping left hand and Hooker a body kick. Diakiese hit Hooker with a solid uppercut, and Hooker responded with a big shot before seeking a clinch against the cage. The New Zealander controlled the action for a while until Diakiese broke and landed a knee to the body. Hooker got another takedown and looked to take Diakiese’s back. He locked a body triangle, yet couldn’t do much with it as the referee threatened to stand the fight up. Diakiese spun and landed in top guard to close the second round.
Despite a slow opening two rounds, the third frame saw arguably the most action of the UFC 219 main card so far when an exchange unfolded and Diakiese shot a takedown and was immediately locked into a super-tight guillotine choke to score an impressive finish.
Final Result: Dan Hooker def. Marc Diakiese via R3 submission (guillotine choke, 3:42)
