UFC bantamweight Sean O’Malley believes that Dan Hooker deserves more recognition and popularity, saying “he should be more of a star.”

Hooker recently fought and defeat Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266 under less-than-ideal circumstances. The UFC lightweight contender got his visa on incredibly short notice, but despite the circumstances, he went out there and put on an incredible performance. A few days after that, Hooker decided to step up and take the fight that no one else wants. He will now fight Islam Makhachev at UFC 267 later this month. The fact that he is stepping up on short notice to fight someone like Makhachev shows how much of a stud that he is, and his fellow UFC fighters, such as O’Malley, have nothing but respect for what Hooker’s doing.

Speaking on the “BroMalley Show,” O’Malley had high praise for Hooker. He believes that Hooker needs to be more of a star for the UFC, and he should be more popular with fans.

“Hooker’s an animal. I wish that dude was – I mean, he also said UFC offered him money that he couldn’t turn down, which is sweet. He deserves it. Hooker deserves more popularity, more; I mean, I think everyone respects him. I don’t think there’s anyone that’s like, ‘Nope, Hooker. No’. But he should be more of a star, I think. Dude’s a f**king stud,” O’Malley said (h/t SportsKeeda).

If Hooker goes in there and takes care of business against Makhachev, his popularity seems likely to explode given that few people are giving him a chance to win that fight. But either way, just the fact that he took the fight on short notice is impressive in its own right, and one of the reasons why O’Malley thinks Hooker should be more popular than he is.

Do you agree with Sean O’Malley that Dan Hooker should be a bigger star for the UFC?