Dan Hooker appeared to post, then delete, a video of a deep lip cut in camp; he still faces Brian Ortega at UFC Qatar on Nov. 21, with sparring possibly delayed.
From 3 reports by 3 outlets
What we know
- Dan Hooker faces Brian Ortega at UFC Qatar on Nov. 21, 2026.
- Hooker was stopped by Salahdine Parnasse last month, his third consecutive UFC loss.
- UFC Qatar is headlined by Jiri Prochazka vs. Navajo Stirling.
Reported, not confirmed
-
Hooker appeared to post and then delete a video showing a cut on his lip; other accounts reposted it.
Bloody Elbow
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Hooker may have to delay his next sparring session because of the injury.
Bloody Elbow
A cut on Dan Hooker's lip has surfaced less than a month before his return, and it may cost him time in the gym. According to Bloody Elbow, Hooker appeared to post a video of the injury and then take it down, but the clip was reposted by pages including Championship Rounds on X.
In the video, Hooker sits in his car, swears and laughs the injury off. Bloody Elbow says the cut looks gruesome and that it appears he will have to delay his next sparring session. Nothing has been said about whether the fight is in doubt.
The timing is tight. Hooker was stopped by Salahdine Parnasse last month, his third consecutive loss in the Octagon, and chose a quick turnaround to face Brian Ortega on Nov. 21 in Qatar. The card is headlined by Jiri Prochazka vs. Navajo Stirling. It will be his third fight of the year.
The camp comes after Hooker's own admissions about his past preparation. In April he said he had been coasting through fights and was not nearly as dedicated as he used to be. He said the last camp where he gave maximum effort was for his 2022 fight with Claudio Puelles, which ended a two-fight losing streak, and that he drank every day while preparing for Mateusz Gamrot. Bloody Elbow reads the video as a sign that commitment is no longer the issue.
Hooker is 36, a New Zealand lightweight, and the fight with Ortega is booked. What to watch for is whether the cut heals in time for full sparring and whether Hooker says anything more about it.
In the video, Hooker sits in his car, swears and laughs the injury off. Bloody Elbow says the cut looks gruesome and that it appears he will have to delay his next sparring session. Nothing has been said about whether the fight is in doubt.
The timing is tight. Hooker was stopped by Salahdine Parnasse last month, his third consecutive loss in the Octagon, and chose a quick turnaround to face Brian Ortega on Nov. 21 in Qatar. The card is headlined by Jiri Prochazka vs. Navajo Stirling. It will be his third fight of the year.
The camp comes after Hooker's own admissions about his past preparation. In April he said he had been coasting through fights and was not nearly as dedicated as he used to be. He said the last camp where he gave maximum effort was for his 2022 fight with Claudio Puelles, which ended a two-fight losing streak, and that he drank every day while preparing for Mateusz Gamrot. Bloody Elbow reads the video as a sign that commitment is no longer the issue.
Hooker is 36, a New Zealand lightweight, and the fight with Ortega is booked. What to watch for is whether the cut heals in time for full sparring and whether Hooker says anything more about it.
- Summary
- Dan Hooker appeared to post, then delete, a video of a deep lip cut in camp; he still faces Brian Ortega at UFC Qatar on Nov. 21, with sparring possibly delayed.
- Key points (one per line)
- Hooker appeared to post and delete a video showing a cut on his lip, per Bloody Elbow
He faces Brian Ortega at UFC Qatar on Nov. 21
He was stopped by Salahdine Parnasse last month, his third straight UFC loss
- Also reported by (Name | URL per line)
- Bloody Elbow | https://bloodyelbow.com/2026/10/26/dan-hooker-seemingly-posts-and-deletes-injury-update-weeks-out-from-ufc-qatar-return/
Yardbarker MMA | https://www.yardbarker.com/mma/articles/dan_hooker_seemingly_posts_and_deletes_injury_update_weeks_out_from_ufc_qatar_return/s1_17651_44474908
Knockout Daily | https://knockoutdaily.com/news/dan-hooker-deletes-gruesome-injury-clip-less-than-a-month-before-facing-brian-ortega
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Sources
Yardbarker MMA
Knockout DailySummarized with AI from the sources above. Read the originals for the full story.
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