Hooker eyes Gaethje: 'No way that fight doesn't deliver'

If Dan Hooker's wish is granted, "Fight of the Night" will be written all over his next clash.

The No. 5-ranked lightweight wants to face former interim champion Justin Gaethje, he told MMA Junkie's Farah Hannoun.

"I feel like that's the fight that lights a fire under me," Hooker said. "You watch (Gaethje) fight, the way he fights, the way he knocks people out, the way he finishes different opponents and you can feel the threat, so it makes it very easy to train for, when you're fighting such a dangerous opponent like that.

"... That's an exciting fight to me and that's an exciting fight for the fans," Hooker added. "There's no way that fight doesn't deliver."

Hooker, who's coming off a loss to Dustin Poirier in June, said he was originally eyeing a matchup against former Bellator champion Michael Chandler. But after Chandler turned down a December bout against Tony Ferguson, "The Hangman" wasn't interested.

"... That, to me, kind of takes a lot of the mystique off the guy," Hooker said. "Him saying he's ready to go, he'll fight anyone. 'Oh wait, I don't want to fight Tony Ferguson.' So even for me, fighting Chandler, it takes a lot of the hype that's behind Chandler away, so it makes him less appealing to fight."

Chandler was a backup fighter for a title bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Gaethje in October, and he needed to make weight despite not competing. The new UFC signee said recently he wouldn't be able to turn around and fight again in December, but he still wants to face Ferguson in January.