Hooker to face Allen in featherweight return at UFC London
Dan Hooker is headed back down to 145 pounds.
After 12 fights at lightweight, Hooker is set to face Arnold Allen in a featherweight bout at UFC London on March 19, the promotion announced Monday.
The move had been in the works since November, when Hooker conducted a successful test weight cut.
"The Hangman" jumped to lightweight in 2017 with a 3-3 featherweight record in the UFC. He became a top-five contender in the division, picking up wins over the likes of Paul Felder, Al Iaquinta, and Gilbert Burns.
However, Hooker lost a crucial fight to Dustin Poirier in June 2020 and went 1-2 after that, getting knocked out by Michael Chandler, beating Nasrat Haqparast, and losing by submission to Islam Makhachev on short notice at UFC 267 last October. Hooker is currently ranked No. 8 at lightweight.
Allen is one of the brightest contenders in the featherweight division. The Brit defeated Sodiq Yusuff by unanimous decision last April to extend his winning streak to 10. He's undefeated in the UFC and has only lost once as a professional.
A heavyweight bout between Alexander Volkov and Tom Aspinall is scheduled to headline UFC London at O2 Arena.