To say that Dan Hooker looks a lot different heading into UFC 305 than he did before his last fight in July 2023 against Jalin Turner.
After taking fight week photos in July 2023, mostly tattoo-free and clean-shaven, the New Zealand native returns for UFC 305 with a ton of new ink and a beard.
Take a look at this before-and-after photo of Hooker with 2023’s pre-fight image on the left and the UFC 305 fight week image on the right.
Hooker has already been an all-action brawler capable of stopping opponents with strikes or finishing the fight with submissions.
Some might say he looks even more badass with his artistically sound tattoos and beard. Hooker will face Mateusz Gamrot on the pay-per-view portion of the show in a high-stakes lightweight fight.
Hooker is ranked No. 11 currently, but a win over Gamrot, who is No. 5, could send him flying up the 155-pound rankings. Gamrot believes that with a win over Hooker–especially if he wins impressively in front of Hooker’s hometown crowd in Perth, Australia, he could be in a position to fight for an interim title.
Reigning champion Islam Makhachev is injured and may not be healthy enough to defend his title this year.
In the meantime, No. 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan has expressed a willingness to fight for an interim title rather than wait for Makhachev to heal. Justin Gaethje and Gamrot are the only fighters currently ranked in the top 5 at lightweight who haven’t faced and lost to Makhachev.
Gaethje wouldn’t be considered a potential title challenger after losing via sensational KO to Max Holloway at UFC 300.
In addition, Gamrot also defeated Tsarukyan in June 2022. A victory over Hooker, despite his lower ranking, would put Gamrot on a four-fight win streak, and he’d have as strong of a case as anyone in the division for a title shot. If Hooker wins, he could theoretically jump into the top 8 and secure a meaningful fight with another top-5 opponent in his next fight.
Here is a look at the entire card:
UFC 305 Main Card
- UFC Middleweight Championship – (c) Dricus Du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya
- Men’s Flyweight – Kai Kara-France vs. Steve Erceg
- Lightweight – Mateusz Gamrot vs. Dan Hooker
- Heavyweight – Tai Tuivasa vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
- Welterweight – Jingliang Li vs. Carlos Prates
UFC 305 Prelims Card
- Heavyweight – Junior Tafa vs. Valter Walker
- Featherweight – Josh Culibao vs. Ricardo Ramos
- Women’s Flyweight – Casey O’Neill vs. Luana Santos
- Featherweight – Jack Jenkins vs. Herbert Burns
UFC 305 Early Prelims Card
- Lightweight – Tom Nolan vs. Alex Reyes
- Welterweight – Song Kenan vs. Ricky Glenn
- Men’s Flyweight – Stewart Nicoll vs. Jesus Aguilar
UFC 305 will be main-evented by Dricus Du Plessis (21-2) vs. Israel Adesanya (24-3) for the former’s title. Adesanya has been out of action for 11 months since losing his title to Sean Strickland in 2023.
In the co-main event, No. 4 Kai Kara-France takes on No. 7 Steve Erceg in a pivotal flyweight matchup.
The winner could be in line for a title shot. Erceg narrowly lost to champion Alexandre Pantoja at UFC 301 and could be fast-tracked into a second opportunity.
The event will take place on Saturday, Aug. 17, at the RAC Arena in Perth. The main card starts at 10 p.m. ET.
