The UFC is headed down under for an epic middleweight title fight between Dricus Du Plessis and Israel Adesanya. The promotion will be at the RAC Arena in Perth, Australia, with a stacked card. The best of City Kickboxing will be on display along with several other Australian natives. The fights will begin at the normal time for the east coast, and the fighters will be up bright and early in Australia. The prelims begin at 6:30 p.m. EST and the main card starts on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. EST.
This lightweight bout on the main card will feature a fan-favorite, especially in New Zealand and Australia, as Dan Hooker will take on Mateusz Gamrot and look to put on a show, as he usually does. There are not many more entertaining fighters in the promotion than Hooker, and he should give the fans a show, win or loss.
UFC 305: Mateusz Gamrot vs. Dan Hooker
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Mateusz Gamrot (-155)
Mateusz Gamrot is 24-2 (1 NC) as a professional and 7-2 in the UFC. His two losses came against Guram Kutateladze in 2020 and Beneil Dariush in 2022. His latest fight was a unanimous decision victory over Rafael Dos Anjos in March, and he put on a wrestling clinic by landing eleven takedowns over three rounds.
Gamrot is a wrestler with decent striking. He constantly pressures his opponents with chain wrestling and he lands an average of 5.28 takedowns per 15 minutes. Gamrot also lands 3.09 significant strikes and absorbs 3.07 significant strikes per minute.
Dan Hooker (+270)
Dan "The Hangman" Hooker is 23-12 as a professional and 13-8 in the UFC. He has been fighting for the promotion since 2014, but has had his fair share of ups and downs. He is on a two-fight winning streak, with wins over Jalin Turner and Claudio Puelles, but he’s struggled against the top guys in the division.
Dan Hooker is an electric fighter that is as tough as they come. He has multiple legendary fights, including his loss to Dustin Poirier in 2020, which was an epic striking match. Hooker lands 5.08 significant strikes and absorbs 4.76 significant strikes per minute. He averages 0.79 takedowns landed per 15 minutes and defends them at a rate of 80%.
Prediction
This matchup is interesting because Hooker should be the better striker, and he has a five-inch reach advantage, but I do not think he will be able to utilize it. Gamrot has yet to fight an opponent and not land a takedown, and Hooker will have a tough time stopping all the takedowns attempted. Hooker will likely employ knees and kicks to stop the shots from Gamrot, but that could lead to clinch work from Gamrot, where he can find a trip along the fence.
Hooker will have an uphill battle this entire fight, but he will have the crowd behind him. However, that may not be enough, because Gamrot has never been finished in his career, but he has been knocked down several times. Hooker will have to land a massive knee to put Gamrot's lights out, and I do not see it happening.
Bet: Mateusz Gamrot To Win By Decision (-160)
