Under the Radar: Hooker vs Vick

Under the Radar: Hooker vs Vick

By Jack Maher

Rafael dos Anjos vs Leon Edwards will be on our screens later this evening, and while the main event has drummed up a respectable amount of fanfare, there are plenty of fights on the undercard that have gone somewhat under the radar despite being good fights on paper.

For me the pick of the bunch is James Vick vs Dan Hooker, where Vick will attempt to snap his two-fight skid in his home state of Texas against the returning ‘Hangman’

I can’t help but feel that if this fight had taken place a year ago then it would have a lot more momentum behind it, as this time last July both men were on impressive win streaks, but have since suffered defeats to the divisions elite in more recent fights.

Both are quality fighters regardless of their recent misfortunes, and there are plenty of variables to consider about the striking exchanges that will take place, and I feel that both men’s respective styles will gel really well.

Hooker is a dangerous kickboxer who has unlocked impressive knockout power since moving up to 155lbs. He is tough as nails and throws powerful strikes on the inside, but his less than perfect defence was evident in his last outing against Edson Barboza. Vick doesn’t strike with the same power or speed as Barboza, but has shown he posses a creative range of kicks in his previous fights that he will be eager to utilise against Hooker. The ‘Texecutioner’ will likely launch an unorthodox assault on the New Zealander, but Hooker is extremely durable and will not go away easy.

In the past Hooker has ended fights with precise knees down the middle, connecting with the head of his opponent as they attempt to close the distance, but Vick’s 6,3 height and slight reach advantage will probably leave him little need to try and close distance, thus giving Hooker little chance of landing one of his trademark strikes.

Hooker is at a size disadvantage against Vick which will make it hard for him to have success at long range, so don’t be surprised if he attempts to fight on the inside a lot. If that’s the case, then this fight could easily go either way.

The competitive nature of this fight, combined with the question of how their striking styles will effect one another, opens up a lot of questions about how this fight between two quality lightweights will play out, making it surprising that this fight hasn’t garnered more excitement from the fans in the lead up.