UFC 290: Dan Hooker set to undergo surgery after fighting through two broken bones in win over Jalin Turner
Kiwi fighter Dan Hooker fought through two broken bones to beat Jalin Turner at UFC 290. Photo / Getty Images
Dan Hooker will go under the knife later this week to repair a broken ulna in his right forearm sustained in his split decision win over Jalin Turner at UFC 290 last weekend.
Hooker suffered the injury in the first round of the fight, but battled through two more rounds – getting the better of both – with one fully operational arm.
It was one of two broken bones he suffered in the fight, with a broken orbital bone on the right side of his face, likely a result of Turner catching him flush with a head kick midway through the second round.
Speaking to the Herald, Hooker said one broken bone led to the other.
“If my arm didn’t break it would’ve got up and blocked the head kick and I wouldn’t have got kicked in the head,” Hooker said.
“You naturally expect your arm to come up and protect your head, so I was surprised. But that’s the blessing of experience; I’ve been in that exact position before and you just know to keep your wits about you and keep your composure about you. The storm passes.”
Hooker will undergo surgery on his forearm on Thursday in the States before returning home at the weekend. He is yet to learn just how long the injury will keep him out of action for.
🤷♂️ pic.twitter.com/RRhfa6CVbt
— Dan Hangman Hooker (@danthehangman) July 9, 2023
While his arm needs an operation, his broken orbital bone will not need to be repaired surgically. It is expected to heal naturally over the next six weeks.
“There’s a lot up in the air, but taking lessons from experience, I just won’t rush that time as I have done in the past,” Hooker said.
“I’ll just take my time to heal and make sure I’m back to 100 per cent before I get in there again.”
The head kick was a moment in the fight that could have swung things for Turner, it instead lit a fire under Hooker as he knew he had to get it back. He did, with a flurry on the feet before ending the round with Turner locked in a fight-ending chokehold when the bell sounded.
Hooker looked to finish the fight in the third, dropping Turner early, but said in the process he felt his broken ulna completely go out of place. He played it smart from there, controlling Turner on the ground to earn the decision.
The win saw Hooker move back inside the top 10 of the UFC lightweight rankings, squashing any suggestion of the 33-year-old being on a downward trend.
“I’m not surprised. It’s just to go out there and prove to everyone else what you know you’re capable of. I was fairly confident coming into the fight that that’s how the result would’ve been – getting my hand raised – so I’m not at all surprised.
“I’m just excited for the future and what comes next. There’s big things in the future and hopefully we can drag UFC again back to New Zealand early next year.”
Hespec pic.twitter.com/h4U3TLj2rK
— Dan Hangman Hooker (@danthehangman) July 9, 2023