Kiwi MMA fighter Dan 'The Hangman' Hooker was unable to add his win tally this afternoon, losing by unanimous decision to Mexican phenom Yair Rodriguez in the UFC 192 preliminary headliner in Houston.
The Hangman adopted a cautious approach form the outset, attempting to use his length to keep his opponent at bay, conscious of Rodriguez's diverse range of strikes. He did threaten with the clinch at times but his attempts to bring the fight to the mat were well defended.
After a close first round Rodriguez began to settle into his work in the second, finding his mark with a multitude of unorthodox strikes as Hooker struggled to keep pace, the gulf in speed becoming more and more apparent.
Hooker finally managed to get the fight to the ground in the third after a series of scrambles, but soon found himself defending an ankle lock while Rodriguez was able to land a string of shots from his back, including one slicing elbow which opened a nasty cut across Hooker's forehead.
Ultimately all three judges awarded Rodriguez, former winner of The Ultimate Fighter Mexico, the decision victory despite having a seemingly broken foot suffered in the very first round of the bout.
The loss is the first of Hooker's UFC tenure, his next opponent yet to be named.
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