Hooker started snapping off a straight right hand that was giving Puelles serious trouble. A notable leg-lock specialist, Puelles was attacking immediately, looking for heel hooks and then a knee bar but Hooker managed to stay patient until he found a way to escape.īack on the feet, Hooker was clearly the better striker but still being careful not to overextend himself to allow Puelles to grab him for another grappling exchange. With a height and reach advantage, Hooker looked to maintain the distance with a series of kicks from the outside but Puelles countered by diving on an ankle and dragging him to the ground. Any man walking on the face of this Earth can get it.” The final kick landed and Puelles just crumbled to the mat with referee Keith Peterson waiving off the fight with the official stoppage coming at 4:06 in the second round.
Once it was clear Hooker wasn’t giving up the takedown, he started blasting Puelles with a series of front kicks to the body.
Dan Hooker got a much needed win on Saturday after he stopped Claudio Puelles with a series of devastating body kicks in the second round at UFC 281.įollowing back-to-back losses at lightweight and featherweight, Hooker absolutely wanted to avoid a third defeat in a row but he looked determined in his efforts as he fought a smart and calculated game plan after thwarting the grappling attempts from Puelles.
