- New Zealander Dan Hooker has scored a surprise win in Perth
- All some fans wanted to talk about was her new tattoo.
Dan Hooker scored a shock victory over No. 5-ranked Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305 in Perth on Sunday, but all some fans could talk about were the tattoos he’s sported since undergoing an extreme makeover.
Nicknamed ‘The Executioner’, the New Zealander had been out of the Octagon for more than a year since breaking his arm in his win over Jalin Turner at UFC 290.
At the time, in June last year, he had no tattoos, so fight fans were a bit surprised when he showed off a large amount of ink at the weigh-in for the event in Western Australia.
Several responded to a post on X that showed two images of Hooker: tattoo-free at UFC 290, and with his arms and chest almost completely covered in ink at UFC 305.
Their verdicts will not make for happy reading for the 34-year-old tattoo artist.
“Easily the worst tattoos of any UFC fighter,” wrote one.
“My brother had an early midlife crisis,” another added.
“This is what bad decisions look like,” commented a third.
Just over a year ago, Hooker’s upper body was a tattoo-free zone as he prepared to enter the Octagon at UFC 290 in Nevada.
Fight fans were in for a big surprise when the New Zealander showed off his extensive new tattoo just before his fight against Mateusz Gamrot in Perth at the weekend.
“Maybe it will make him fight better, like putting brand stickers on cars to make them look faster,” another fan joked.
Other responses along the same lines included: “I’m not going to help you, dude,” “His tattoos are complete garbage,” “NOOO DAN, WHAT HAPPENED?” and “Did your brother get divorced or something?”
The new look certainly didn’t do Hooker any harm in the Octagon, as he cruised to a split decision victory despite taking some deep cuts to the face.
Fans went wild when Hooker was heard gleefully telling his cornermen “I love this shit” as they gave him what looked like painful treatment for his wounds.
The UFC website still listed him as the 11th ranked lightweight fighter after the win, which was named Fight of the Night, earning each fighter an additional $50,000.
Fan reactions to his new tattoos aren’t the first time the Kiwi has come under fire for his body art this year.
In January, she was mocked on social media after sharing photos from a visit to a tattoo parlour, with commentators mocking a red design on her belly.
“Honestly, and I say this without joking, that stomach tattoo is the WORST tattoo I have ever seen,” one fan said.
Hooker (left) didn’t win over many fans with his tattoos, but they were very impressed with his victory over Gamrot (right) in a clash that earned him Fight of the Night honors.
Another asked: Why do people allow him to do this?
“He must be trying to win the worst tattoo contest,” said a third fan.
However, some eagle-eyed commentators noticed that the red design appeared to be a stencil outline that had not yet been permanently tattooed on him.
The latest photographs proved them right: the same design now appears in black ink.
Hooker, once considered a genuine title contender in the UFC’s most competitive division, endured a terrible stretch of fighting leading up to UFC 281 in November 2022, losing four of his previous five fights.
Losses to Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler are believed to have derailed his career, while his stint in the lower weight classes was short-lived following his loss to featherweight prospect Arnold Allen.
However, the victory over Gamrot has put a much more positive spin on his standing amongst the world’s best.
