Hooker, with a record of 23-12, was all set to face Bobby Green in the co-main event of the recently concluded UFC Fight Night in Austin, Texas. It was a big deal, but then, disaster struck. The Kiwi had to withdraw from the bout, just 10 days before the scheduled date. Why? A broken arm, courtesy of one of his final sparring sessions.
And it wasn’t just any arm. It was the same one that had gone under the knife following a hard-fought split-decision win against Jalin Turner at UFC 290 in July. Same spot, same problem. As Hooker put it, “Speaking with the surgeon, it just never healed properly. It actually never healed.”
Hooker elaborated on the MMA Hour, “By the time that I realized that it’s not healing, I was too deep in. I was too close to the fight, everything was booked, so I was just kind of going out of my way to protect it and not let it get hurt.”
Then came that fateful sparring session. “One of my sparring partners whipped a kick out and put it on the right spot and just blew it right through.” The result? Another surgery, a bigger plate, and bone marrow from his hip injected into the spot to ensure it heals up.
Hooker and his team at City Kickboxing have learned a lesson from this. They aren’t looking to rush back into action, at least for the time being. They understand the importance of allowing ample time for recovery from such debilitating injuries.
Hooker is optimistic about his recovery. “I’ll be back to training in three months… They’ve put me in a concrete cast, they’re not letting me—there’s just absolutely no faith involved, which I need, I need to be protected from myself. So, it’s just set in stone… I’m playing everything by the book this time. I’m not breaking any rules. I’m going to get this thing healed up. Yeah, I think five months is a good target I’ve set myself.”