UFC analyst and coach Din Thomas believes Dan Hooker vs. Brian Ortega makes a lot of sense.
Hooker (24-15 MMA, 14-11 UFC) welcomes former title challenger Ortega (16-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) to lightweight at UFC Fight Night 294 on Nov. 21 at ABHA Arena in Doha (Paramount+). With both fighters currently enduring rough runs, Thomas considers it a good opportunity for Hooker and Ortega to rebound.
"A real fun fight and a very fair – this is good matchmaking here, Dan Hooker-Brian Ortega," Thomas said on "Deep Waters." "He's (Ortega) eventually got to fight somebody, and I think this is great matchmaking because you don't feel like either one of them is getting fed to somebody. For where they're at, because sometimes you see a matchup and be like, 'Oh, man!'
But this is good matchmaking. It feels like a fair fight, and it's going to be fun, especially if you've been around the game for a while. These two have never fought before."
Hooker, who's on a three-fight losing skid, is coming off a quick TKO loss to Salahdine Parnasse at UFC Fight Night 287 this past September in Paris. Ortega lost four of his past five and hasn't competed since dropping a decision to Aljamain Sterling last August – in a fight that was moved to catchweight after Ortega was hospitalized trying to make weight. He then withdrew twice from scheduled bouts against Renato Moicano – once at UFC 326 due to injury then at UFC 331 from a cut suffered just days before the fight.
Chris Weidman picked Hooker to win since he thinks he has more in him, but Dustin Poirier disagrees.
"After that last Hooker fight, I just don't know how much he cares or how hungry he is anymore," Poirier said. "I haven't seen him (Ortega). At least we saw Hooker recently."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC analyst: Dan Hooker vs. Brian Ortega good matchmaking 'for where they're at'
