UFC 266: Hooker v Haqparast
Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images

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Dan Hooker earned a ton of points with fans and pundits around the world earlier today when he accepted a fight vs. Islam Makhachev at UFC 267 on October 30, 2021. The veteran scrapper just fought last Saturday, a victorious effort vs. Nasrat Haqparast and will have just about a month to prepare for a scrap with the grappling ace. In addition, his training and home life situation are severely complicated by COVID-19 restrictions, as it’s unclear when Hooker will next be able to return home to New Zealand.

The odds makers, however, do not seem as impressed. Betonline.ag opened Hooker as a large underdog at +250, but those numbers have only swelled to an insulting +400 in the hours since the booking was announced. Meanwhile, Makhachev began as a -300 favorite, but he’s all the way up to -600.

Hooker is the No. 6-ranked Lightweight in the world, a man who has faced the division’s absolute best and threw down in 25-minute wars of attrition. However, the hype behind Makhachev is simply too strong to ignore, as Khabib Nurmagomedov’s protégé seems primed to follow in “The Eagle’s” shoes. The 30-year-old Russian has won eight bouts in a row, seldom coughing up a round in the process and breaking into the Top Five as a result.

Is there profit to be made here, or are these odds right on the money?

Insomnia

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Your weekly dose of Sean Strickland being an intense, strange fellow:

Michael Chandler and posting grueling workouts on IG, name a better combo.

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Tyson Fury’s response to Oleksandr Usyk’s upset over his rival Joshua Fury is rather classy.

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Some fun debate material for the comments!

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Nice sprawl and chest pressure to secure the d’arce finish:

Here’s a different technical display than the usual (but excellent) left hooks and chopping low kicks of Liam Harrison.

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A nasty series of jump knees and hammerfists saw the Cage Warriors Bantamweight title change hands!

Random Land

I am genuinely shocked (and hugely impressed) that this worked. Legendary!

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Midnight Music: Classic dance track “Poison” popped up during kickboxing today and got an immediate response, but personally, I cannot help but immediately think of the hilarious It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia clip that features the song.

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.

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