Dan Hooker overcame the grappling threat of Mateusz Gamrot to earn a hard-fought victory at UFC 305.
The lightweight bout was part of the main event of UFC 305 at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, and Hooker (24-12 MMA, 14-8 UFC) and Gamrot (24-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) brought their best to the fight. After 15 minutes, the judges were split, awarding scores of 29-28, with two of the scorecards favoring Hooker’s striking.
The classic wrestler versus striker duel went exactly as you would imagine, with both fighters playing to their strengths. But Gamrot surprised Hooker early with a quick combination of upward strikes. A few moments later, Gamrot brought the fight into his world.
Hooker weathered a storm of ground-and-pound strikes before getting back to his feet and hitting Gamrot with punches, bringing the crowd to life. Hooker hunted for a finish, but Gamrot stayed put to see out the end of a very wild opening round.
Gamrot wasted no time taking the fight to the ground in Round 2, quickly implementing his stifling ground game. Midway through the round, however, Hooker got back to his feet and started to hunt again with strikes. It didn’t take long for Gamrot to get back on his haunches, but he had to deal with hard elbow strikes and guillotine threats while Hooker lay sprawled.
“I love this shit!” Hooker said, laughing in the corner between rounds.
With five minutes to go, the fight still seemed open, but Hooker fought off an early takedown and dominated the strike battle. Between takedown attempts, Gamrot managed to land a few strikes, but he was mostly outmatched in the final fights.
Dan Hooker wins a close split decision! 👏#UFC305 | @DanTheHangman pic.twitter.com/EZ9QzDphzY
— UFC (@ufc) 18 August 2024
He wants EVERYTHING! 😤@DanTheHangman is his word after the victory against Mateusz Gamrot at #UFC305!
(LIVE NOW on @ESPNPlus (PPV) pic.twitter.com/JQrAKCLxV8
— UFC (@ufc) 18 August 2024
Hooker has now earned his third straight win and is close to entering the top five at lightweight. Hooker’s current run includes a win over Claudio Puelles and a points victory over Jalin Turner.
Coincidentally, Gamrot’s winning streak ends at three, which consisted of victories over Turner, Rafael Fiziev and former champion Rafael dos Anjos.
The latest results from UFC 305 include:
- Dan Hooker defeated Mateusz Gamrot via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jairzinho Rozenstruik defeated. Tai Tuivasa by split decision (29-28, 27-30, 30-27)
- Carlos Prates defeated Li Jingliang by KO (punch) – Round 2, 4:02
- Valter Walker defeats Junior Tafa by verbal submission (heel hook) – Round 1, 4:56
- Ricardo Ramos defeated Josh Culibao by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Casey O’Neill defeated Luana Santos by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
- Jack Jenkins defeats Herbert Burns by TKO (punches) – Round 3, 0:48
- Tom Nolan defeated Alex Reyes by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Song Kenan defeated Ricky Glenn by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 29-28)
- Jesus Aguilar defeats Stewart Nicoll by technical submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:39
For more information on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 305.
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