Lightweight contenders Dan Hooker and Benoit Saint Denis met in Saturday’s UFC 325 co-main event in Sydney, Australia.
Hooker entered the bout coming off a submission loss to No. 2 ranked contender Arman Tsarukyan in November. The loss snapped a three-fight winning streak for “The Hangman.” Ranked No. 6, he was looking to rebound at Qudos Bank Arena.
Saint Denis bought with him a three-fight winning streak. Ranked No. 8 in the division. “God of War” was looking to extend his streak and climb up the rankings.
They exchanged letters kicks to start the fight. Saint Denis looked for a takedown but Hooker applied a guillotine choke and used it to stand., Hook delivered a front kick to the body followed by another one. Hook began pressuring Saint Denis. Saint Denis landed a right hand and they briefly clinched. Saint Denis clinched. They separated and Hooker landed a head kick. Saint Denis ate it. Saint Denis secured a takedown and moved to side control. He delivered elbows and isolated arm. He let the arm go and Hooker scrambled to his feet. Saint Denis landed to the body and pressed forward. Hooker connected with an uppercut on the inside Saint Denis took Hooker down in the loosen moments. He stood and landed a hard right hand. MMAWeekly scored the round 10-9 for Saint Denis.
Saint Denis oped with a leg kick and worked for a takedown to start the second frame. Hooker applied a guillotine and Saint Denis rolled out. They stood. Saint Denis secured a takedown and unloaded elbows. He isolated an arm and briefly looked for a straight arm bar. Hooker got his arm free. Saint Denis advanced to the mount. He applied an arm-triangle choke. Saint Denis looked it in even deeper but Hooker stayed calm. Saint Denis ave up on the choke and delivered elbows. Hooker’s face was busted up. Saint Denis continued to hammer away with punches and elbows. Referee Herb Dean stepped in to stop it.
The official time of the stoppage was of the 4:45 second round.