Poirier vs Hooker Predictions For The Main Event UFC Vegas 4

By Clint MacLean Jun 22, 2020

Picking up where my last article left off…. We absolutely CRUSHED UFC Vegas 3. We hit underdogs all over the place for fight night Blaydes vs Volkov and are picking up some momentum. Let’s roll these good vibes into Saturday’s Poirier vs Hooker predictions and make some more cash! This card is a big light on the undercard with some more fun matchups and some more new faces, but this is a top-heavy card. Where Blaydes and Volkov didn’t quite live up to the hype there is no way that Poirier and Hooker won’t deliver. This fight will be an absolute war.

Dustin Poirier vs Dan Hooker: The Basics

Dan Hooker has been a long time prospect at 155 and here is his moment. He has managed to work himself into a contender position and is facing the last man to challenge 155-pound king Khabib and former champion Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier. This is a big step in Hooker’s career and one that I personally can’t wait to see him take. Dustin is looking to bounce back from losing his belt and has a young hungry lion knocking on his door who he cannot look past.

Poirier vs Hooker: The Fighters

Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier is a champion level fighter. Plain and simple. This man has fought every name and every legend in the two hottest division’s the sport of MMA has to offer and he is peaking. Dustin is in his physical prime and finally captured that elusive title, but having the interim belt around his waist doesn’t seem to be enough for him. Losing the unification bout against Khabib seems to have put a fire under Dustin like we haven’t seen before and that’s saying something.

Dustin’s hands should be registered as deadly weapons. His crisp boxing and forward pressure are enough to melt most contenders at 155 and he is well known for knocking his opponents out. Dustin has high level grappling in his back pocket but rarely uses it as he doesn’t really need to. Averaging 5.51 significant strikes per minute Dustin puts the hurt on anybody unlucky enough to step in the octagon with him and he has a wealth of 5 round experience to pull from.

“The Hangman” Dan Hooker is one of the 3 stars coming to us from City Kickboxing and is the main training partner of 185 champion Israel Adesanya. Hooker also trains with 145 pound champion Alexander Volkanovski, so he is nearly expected to win a title in the UFC at some point in his career. Dan has been growing in front of our eyes and was streaking until he ran into Edson Barboza who was able to put him down. Hooker rebounded from that loss and has put another 3 fight win streak together over top competition and is ready for that title shot. Hooker has exceptional basics in MMA and that may sound like an insult but it’s not. What he does is masterful and can cause issues for a lot of fighters simply because he can do everything you can just a little better. His height and reach cause issues at 155 and he has both power in his hands and a slick submission game.

Poirier vs Hooker: The Matchup

I had every intention of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) today and tell you to bet on Hooker. I almost saved him for my underdog breakdown later in the week. But then I watched the tape. I have been a champion for Dan Hooker. I have called him the next big thing. I have said that it’s not a matter of if, but when that this kid finally gets his hands on UFC gold, but I feel like this fight might not be the one. We have 2 recent fights where we can mirror each fighter’s next opponent relatively well and the information isn’t something I am excited about for my boy Hooker.

Prior to his fight with Khabib, Dustin faced 145 pound champion Max Holloway who moved up to 155 for a shot to become a champ and they went to WAR! Max Holloway vs Dustin Poirier 2 is a fight of the year contender and if you have a friend who isn’t into MMA that’s a fight you can show them to get them started. Both men landed upwards of 170 significant strikes a piece in that battle and every time you thought Max could turn the tables and take over Dustin bit down on his mouthpiece and hurt him. Dustin’s power at 155 is something crazy. We talk about Conor. We talk about Gaethje. Dustin Poirier is the dark horse of 155 and shows up when you count him out.

Taking a look at Poirier vs Hooker Undercard Best Bets

Hooker faced Paul Felder in his last fight and it was his first 5 round main event. Hooker has more than enough gas to get him through a 15 minute fight, but he slowed down a lot in the championship rounds of his fight with Felder. Felder is another hard-nosed boxer type who was able to crash the pocket and close the range on Hooker which is exactly what Dustin is going to need to do. Felder had great success and came up just short in a split decision loss to Hooker, but it easily could have been argued for the Red Dragon to take it.

After watching both men fight similar opponents to what they will face Saturday I think that picking a side may be the wrong way to go. My heart is telling me that Hooker is live here and at this line I should be grateful for the dog money I am getting. If Poirier isn’t his old self after losing his title (which we see when champions are defeated sometimes) then Hooker could just be the next wave. The new breed. But Dustin seems to have doubled down and appears as motivated as ever. Both men have a wealth of experience, so there is no edge there, and while Hooker is the “new blood” he is only 1 year younger than DP.

With Dustin Poirier vs Dan Hooker coming up this weekend who do you think wins and how? #INABUDHABI #UFC #UFCFightIsland #UFCFightNight

— CLOBBIE TALKS MMA. (@CLOBBIETALKSMMA) June 22, 2020

>My gut tells me that if Hooker can’t put Dustin away early that he is going to be treated to the same show that Justin Gauthje and Eddie Alvarez had front row seats for. Dustin will methodically break Hooker down and after a year off he should be fully recovered and ready to go. Hooker on the other hand was in an absolute war just 4 short months ago and has some miles on him from the beating Barboza put on him. If Hooker starts to wilt in round 3 Dustin will pour it on him and put him down late.

The totals are not out yet for this fight, but depending on where it is set that might be the way to play it. I also will be looking very closely at Dustin inside the distance and playing Dustin in each of rounds 3, 4, and 5 for long shot prices. Lower the risk and higher the reward.