Jul 8, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Jalin Turner (red gloves) fights Dan Hooker (blue gloves) during UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

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“We Both Got Cooked” – Dan Hooker Drops Hilariously Self-Aware Callout On Ex-UFC Title Challenger

Jul 8, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Jalin Turner (red gloves) fights Dan Hooker (blue gloves) during UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Losing streaks test every fighter’s mental fortitude and competitive spirit drastically. Some athletes spiral into depression after consecutive defeats pile up. Others lash out with excuses about judges, referees, or injuries. The best fighters accept reality with humor and grace instead. And Dan Hooker is one of them.

Hooker has always been one of MMA’s most entertaining personalities. The New Zealand fighter brings honesty and humor to every interview. He never makes excuses or blames others for his losses. That refreshing attitude continued after Arman Tsarukyan submitted him at UFC Qatar.

Dan Hooker Makes The Hilarious Callout

Hooker wasted zero time thinking about his next fight after the defeat. He spoke with The Mac Life the morning after losing his three-fight winning streak. ‘The Hangman’ immediately set his sights on Renato Moicano for his next bout. But the way he made this callout was absolutely hilarious.

“Moicano is a good fight. We both suck. We both got cooked. Islam cooked him, Arman cooked me.”

😂 👀 Dan Hooker calls out Renato Moicano:

"Moicano is a good fight. We both suck. We both got cooked. Islam cooked him, Arman cooked me."

via @TheMacLife pic.twitter.com/Vb3umNnH8a
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) November 23, 2025

That’s not your typical fighter callout mentality at all. Most guys would hype themselves up and talk trash aggressively. Hooker took the completely opposite approach with brutal self-honesty instead. The creativity in that trash talk is genuinely impressive. Turning two submission losses into a cooking competition metaphor is brilliant. That might be the most self-aware callout in UFC history honestly.

The Matchup Makes Sense

Beyond the comedy gold, this fight actually makes perfect competitive sense. Moicano got choked out by Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 in January. Beneil Dariush then defeated him via decision at UFC 317 in June. The Brazilian sits on a two-fight losing streak currently and desperately needs a win.

Hooker just ended his three-fight winning streak with the Tsarukyan loss. Both fighters occupy positions in the top 10 lightweight rankings now. Neither guy will challenge for the title anytime soon realistically. This represents a perfect bounce-back fight for both athletes. Now it remains to be seen if the UFC thinks this matchup is a good fit.

(Image Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie – Imagn Images)

Dan Hooker

Renato Moicano

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!