Dan Hooker has sent a message to negative mixed martial arts fans who have criticised his recent run of form in the sport.

While he may have been a top lightweight contender once upon a time, Dan Hooker hasn’t had things go his way across his last handful of fights. ‘Hangman’ is 1-4 in his last five and with three of those being stoppage defeats, many have questioned whether or not he should walk away from MMA at the age of just 32.

Alas, the City Kickboxing star has never been one to walk away from a challenge, and he noted during an interview with Ariel Helwani that he isn’t about to start now.

“It’s just MMA fans. Just MMA fans, brother. You lose one and you get the grumblings, lose two and it’s, ‘This guy’s done.’ I don’t know what these people think. They’re just not cut out of what I’m cut out of. I’m cut out of leather.”

“These are the kind of blokes whose shoe laces come untied and they throw their shoes in the rubbish bin. These are the kind of guys that trip over on the way to work and quit their job. These blokes quit too easy. You gotta hang in there a bit longer.”

“This is the sport I love [and] I’m passionate about. I don’t wanna spend my time doing anything else. I love this game, I love combat, I love fighting; I don’t wanna do anything else.”

Quotes via MMA News

Hooker is set to return to the cage at UFC 281 but he isn’t going to be taking an easy fight, as he prepares to lock horns with Claudio Puelles who is currently riding a five-fight win streak.

What do you think the future holds for Dan Hooker? Let us know down in the comments, BJPENN Nation!