'The Hangman' is back.
After two straight defeats, Kiwi Dan Hooker has stormed back into the win column with a one-sided second-round TKO victory over Claudio Puelles in their lightweight bout at UFC 281.
The Aucklander looked a level above his much less experienced opponent throughout. Apart from one prolonged spell on the mat, defending the leglock specialist's kneebar attempts, Hooker was in total command, almost landing at will on the feet.
The disparity in striking class was jarring, with Puelles, 26, quickly realising and persisting with Imanari roll assaults in a bid to grab one of Hooker's legs - likely his only path to victory.
Eventually, the accumulation of Hooker's devastating frontkicks caught up with the Peruvian. The Kiwi's killshot - another laser teep kick - folded Puelles and sent him straight to the canvas in pain, end the fight.
Hooker's 11th finish of his career added another highlight to his extensive reel, while convincingly snapping Puelles' five-fight win streak. Three of those wins came via his trademark kneebar.
The performance oozed vintage Hooker, who looked much more at home at his favoured weight class, after briefly flirting with a return to featherweight.
An elated Hooker sent a clear message in his post-fight interview, putting the offer out to any fighter willing to meet him at UFC 284 at Perth in February, where Alexander Volkanovski will try to become a dual-division champion against lightweight king Islam Makhachev.
The win takes the City Kickboxing record on the day to 2-1, after Carlos Ulberg's first-round knockout win and Brad Riddell's submission defeat.
Israel Adesanya will attempt to defend his middleweight title for a sixth time against Alex Pereira in the main event.
