LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 8: Dan Hooker of New Zealand enters the Octagon in a lightweight bout … (+)
Saturday’s UFC 305 pay-per-view card features a main event bout between UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis and two-time 185-pound UFC champion Israel Adesanya. Before that, the ESPN+ streaming fight card features a lightweight bout between Mateusz Gamrot and Dan Hooker.
Gamrot enters UFC 305 as the No. 5 ranked fighter in the official UFC lightweight rankings, while Hooker is the No. 11 ranked fighter in the 155-pound weight class.
The UFC 305 main event will air on ESPN+ PPV at 10 p.m. ET on August 17. Preliminaries will begin at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN, while early prelims will air at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+. The event will take place at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.
Below you will find a detailed description of the Gamrot vs. Hooker fight.
career
Daniel Hooker
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 8: Dan Hooker of New Zealand reacts after his victory over Jalin Turner in … (+)
Dan Hooker (23-12) had a 10-4 record when he was called up to the UFC in 2013. In that fight, he faced debutant Ian Entwistle and won by knockout in the first round in the featherweight bout.
This victory was followed by two difficult years in which Hooker only won 2-3. A move to lightweight seemed to get Hooker back on track as he went on a four-fight winning streak, defeating notable names such as Ross Pearson, Marc Diakiese, Jim Miller and Gilbert Burns.
That winning streak earned Hooker a No. 14 contender spot in the 155-pound division in the co-main event of a UFC on FOX card against No. 5-ranked Edson Barboza. Barboza ended Hooker’s winning streak with a first-round knockout.
Hooker rebounded from that loss with wins over James Vick, Al Iaquinta and Paul Felder, working his way up to the No. 5 ranking in the division. In 2020, he faced Dustin Poirier, ranked No. 3, in the main event of UFC Fight Night. Poirier won that five-round fight by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-46).
Since that loss, the 34-year-old Hooker has been inconsistent, posting a 3-3 record. It’s worth noting that his losses have come against strong contenders such as Michael Chandler, Islam Makhachev and Arnold Allen. Hooker has won two fights in a row prior to UFC 305, defeating Claudio Puelles and Jalin Turner.
Mateusz Gamrot
MIAMI, FLORIDA – MARCH 9: Mateusz Gamrot of Poland reacts after his win against Rafael Dos … (+)
Mateusz Gamrot (24-2-0-1) has been with the UFC since 2020, when he signed with the promotion after winning and defending the KSW lightweight title. The UFC originally drafted Gamrot as a late replacement for Renato Moicano to fight Magomed Mustafaev, but Gamrot faced another UFC rookie on that UFC Fight Night card. The two won Fight of the Night honors, with Mustafaev winning the fight via split decision.
Gamrot rebounded from that loss, the first of his career, with four straight UFC wins, including stoppage victories over Scott Holtzman, Jeremy Stephens, Carlos Diego Ferreira and a decision win over Arman Tsarukyan, earning him three fight night bonus awards and a No. 9 ranking in the lightweight division.
Gamrot’s winning streak ended in October 2022 when No. 6 seed Beneil Dariush defeated him by unanimous decision on the UFC 280 pay-per-view card.
Since that loss, Gamrot is 3-0 with two decisions and a TKO. His most recent fight was a decision win in March against former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos.
UFC 305 Betting Odds: Gamrot vs. Hooker
The initial odds for this fight had Gamrot as a -295 favorite over Hooker, who was at +220. Today, Gamrot is at -350 and Hooker is at +250.
Key statistics
Hooker is two inches taller than Gamrot and has a greater reach than him.
Gamrot lands an average of 3.09 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy of 51 percent. Gamrot’s strike defense is 59 percent and his opponents land an average of 3.07 strikes per minute. Gamrot’s takedown accuracy is 35 percent and he lands 5.28 takedowns per 15 minutes. His takedown defense is 90 percent.
Hooker is an active striker, landing 5.08 significant strikes per minute with 48 percent accuracy. His opponents average 4.76 strikes per minute against him and he has a strike defense of 51 percent. Hooker lands 0.79 takedowns per 15 minutes with 34 percent accuracy. His takedown defense is 80 percent.
UFC 305 prediction and tip: Gamrot vs. Hooker
If there’s anything to be concerned about here, it’s the fact that Gamrot has been knocked down five times in his UFC career. That’s concerning against a Hooker who looks like a striker. That leaves Hooker with a chance of a surprise knockout win. Gamrot’s wrestling is excellent, though, and that counts too. The betting tip is for this fight to go the full distance and for Gamrot to win by decision.
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