UFC lightweight warriors Dan Hooker and Paul Felder reunited in the hospital following their main event at UFC Auckland for a memorable photo together.
Hooker and Felder went to war for 25 minutes in the headliner of UFC Auckland, with Hooker emerging as the winner via split decision in a close, back-and-forth battle that won “Fight of the Night.” Both men inflicted tons of punishment on each other during the fight so it’s not surprising each fighter was sent to the hospital after the bout as each man needed to be checked out for any potential injuries.
In the hospital, Hooker was able to snap a photo with his rival Felder and he shared the memorable photo with his fans on social media. Check it out below.
RESPECT. pic.twitter.com/HZiOTNL8RG
— Dan Hangman Hooker (@danthehangman) February 23, 2020
“RESPECT”
Hooker later added the following message in a follow-up Tweet.
At the end of the day we are just a couple dads putting bread on the table.
— Dan Hangman Hooker (@danthehangman) February 23, 2020
“At the end of the day we are just a couple dads putting bread on the table.”
It’s always nice to see this sort of camaraderie between MMA fighters after they just finished beating each other up. After all, this is a sport. Even though both Felder and Hooker were in the Octagon trying to knock each other out, at the end of the day they were just doing so because it’s their job and they were trying to move up the rankings.
Considering the amount of damage both men took in the fight, it seems likely that each fighter will need some time on the sidelines to recover from their injuries after this fight. Hooker called out Justin Gaethje after the fight while Felder said he was contemplating retirement, but just remember both fighters were riding the wave of momentum after the bout so there’s no sure guarantee that’s what will be next for both men.
What did you think of the Dan Hooker vs. Paul Felder fight?