You could sense by the grin on Dan Hooker's face that he was back where he felt most at home - inside an Octagon finishing fights in the show-stopping manner that's become his trademark.
'The Hangman' returned to MMA's biggest stage on Sunday (NZT) to add another victim to his extensive highlight reel. On this occasion, James Vick was the victim - falling prey to a pin-point left hook in the opening round of their bout in San Antonio.
After an eight-month hiatus off the back of his devastating defeat to Edson Barboza, the Aucklander admits this victory had an extra special tinge to it, as much for what it meant for his loved ones as himself.
"That meant a lot to me," Hooker said post-fight. "That was probably the most satisfying win of my career, not just for myself."
“That last fight, to me, I can brush that off pretty easily. All the physical damage and stuff, that’s just something I accepted, so that’s not a big deal to me. But the people around me that watch it – family, friends, my wife – they’re the ones that I feel like they needed a win like that.
"They needed a big win. That was for all of them rather than for myself.”
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He admitted the entire event had a different feel to it after such a lengthy lay-off.
"Even on the walkout it came out how I missed this… going out there and putting on a show for the fans. I was soaking it up on the walkout and even after the fight you could see how much it meant to me."
The stoppage ensured his 100 percent finishing rate in the UFC remained in tact, with all nine of his wins coming inside the distance. It also earned him a $US50,000 ($NZ73,850) Performance of the Night award, the third time he's been awarded the lucrative bonus.
It also enforced Hooker's reputation as someone who always enters the arena with cruel intentions and a desire to entertain, which were on full display in San Antonio. He even managed to win over the AT&T Centre crowd that was firmly behind local favourite Vick pre-fight.
“I think I turned (the crowd) around in the post-fight speech," Hooker said. “These fans, they come here to be entertained, and it’s not even something I have to try to do. It’s just kind of a natural way that I approach this sport … to hunt the finish and look for the finish.
"I'm happy that I got to put on a show for the fans, regardless that they were booing me before the fight. I got to turn them around a bit with the old 'you don’t mess with Texas' (comment). I’ve had a lot of people were saying that to me all week."
The 29-year-old made no bones of his desire to be booked on the UFC 243 card that will be headlined by City Kickboxing teammate Israel Adesanya's title unification bout with Robert Whittaker in Australia in October, and one potential opponent immediately stood out to him.
"I feel like (Al) Iaquinta's the one that makes sense," Hooker said. "That name definitely stands out to me. Yeah… meet me in Australia. Get him on a plane."
New Jersey native Iaquinta currently sits sixth in the divisional rankings and brings the same kind of hard-nosed edge to fights as Hooker. It would be a tantalising match-up with the Kiwi, and the American has already tweeted his mutual interest.
"I feel like I get another shot. I feel like I’m back where I left off. I want a big-name fighter. I want a top-10 guy. If they’re coming down to Melbourne, they need to sell some tickets. But Dan Hooker against a top-10 fighter, I feel like that makes a lot of sense and that sells a lot of tickets."
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