By Tim Summerville
It's been a big week for Kiwi UFC fighter Dan "The Hangman" Hooker.
The 25-year-old featherweight has signed a new four fight contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, as well as booking a high profile fight at UFC 192 in October against rising star Yair Rodriguez.
"It's really exciting," Hooker said after wrapping up training for the day in Auckland. "It lights the fire all over again. You get the same nerves as when you signed that first contract."
Even though he has his immediate future secured, Hooker’s taking nothing for granted, with the UFC notorious for cutting ties with anyone who under-performs.
"It's a fact of life that comes with the job, but I always get better performances under pressure."
Hooker's coming off an impressive win over Japanese veteran Hatsu Hioki at UFC Fight Night 65 in Adelaide that saw the Hangman awarded a $US50,000 performance of the night bonus, and he hopes a win over Rodriguez will propel him in to the Top 15 on the UFC's featherweight rankings.
"I'd say I'm definitely within a whiff of the rankings after [winning] this fight. I'll be looking to call out some big name guy after this one."
It will be Hooker's first fight on US soil and a strong performance will generate plenty of positive attention. Hooker's first three fights in the UFC have been broadcast on the company's Fight Pass web-site, meaning this will also be his first exposure to the massive American TV audience.
"The US debut, being on a pay-per-view card, it all adds to it. It's just taking the next step. It's something I've been working towards.
"It's a bit of a déjà vu moment. I think I've seen almost every UFC event there has been from UFC 1 to the last one, 190, so I can imagine [what it will be like] cause I've run it over in my head so many times. We'll see when I'm in there if I even realise it or if I'm still in a dream world."
Hooker's also expecting to be a heavy underdog heading into the fight, with Rodriguez rated as one of the top prospects in the featherweight division after winning The Ultimate Fighter: Latin America, but that doesn't faze the Hangman.
"He's got a lot of hype behind him. In his last fight, you listen to the way the commentators, Dana White blow him up after that fight, that gets me excited more than anything. If I can come in there and steal his thunder then it makes me look even better.
"I hope he's buying into it. This guy's going to get a reality check on October 3rd."
Rodriguez is also likely to be a crowd favourite, fighting just over the border from his native Mexico.
"I've fought in hostile territory a few times in my career," Hooker said. "They're not in there with him. When it comes down to it, it’s just me and him.
"There could be 10,000 people that want my blood, but they can't help him at all, it's one on one."
Rodriguez picked up a Fight of the Night bonus for his last performance in the Octagon, a split decision victory over Charles Rosa at UFC 188 in June and Hooker thinks another exciting contest is on the cards.
"It's a good match-up. It's not like they've chucked me in with some boring wrestler who's going to try and take me down and lie on me. This guy's going to stand, he's going to throw, he's going to attack and it's going to be non-stop.
"He's jumping, he's flying. It will keep the fans entertained, which is what I'm always after."
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