Dan Hooker vs Jalin Turner delivered and it delivered big! Dan Hooker was on a big losing streak ahead of the bout as he had lost 4 of his last 6 bouts recently. Although he was coming off a win against Claudio Puelles, the pressure was on him to get back to his best or he potentially could have lost his position in the company. However, when going gets tough, the tough get going and Dan Hooker certainly did that.
The bout had everything from close calls to both fighters landing some great strikes to both of them getting finished. According to UFC stats, Turner landed 100 significant strikes out of 177 attempted and Hooker landed 125 significant strikes out of 197 attempted. In total, Turner landed 113 punches and Hooker out-landed him massively with 172 strikes.
Split Decision for the Hangman! @DanTheHangman takes a battle over Jalin Turner at #UFC290 👏 pic.twitter.com/qukypaol5Z
— UFC (@ufc) July 9, 2023
Even in terms of ground control, Turner had only 18 seconds, while Hooker controlled the bout for 3:09 minutes. Hence, it is not a surprise that two of the judges scored the bout for the Kiwi 29-28 and one judge had it for Turner, 28-29. However, the reaction to the result has not been the most positive online. So let’s find out how the fans have reacted to the result.
Here are some reactions to the bout
how could anyone score that for turner?
— FADE (@FadeAwayMedia) July 9, 2023
Why is Adelaide Byrd still a judge?
— Gladiator Crypt0 🇦🇺 (@GladiatorCrypt0) July 9, 2023
TURNER GOT ROBBED LMAOO
— GucciSerg (@sergiodaGOAT) July 9, 2023
Jalen turner when hooker ain’t go down after that head kick pic.twitter.com/N1lbZdRwLG
— Isaiah Higgs (@higgs_15) July 9, 2023
It was a close fight but Dan Hooker deserves that win #UFC290
— . (@MatondoProp) July 9, 2023
One of the judges definitely only watched half the second round then scored it for Turner..
— 777 (@THESLUMP_GOD) July 9, 2023
While the reaction is mixed, it certainly was not a robbery as both fighters had a great performance. Despite early adversity, Hooker ended the contest very strong and it was enough to convince the judges that Hooker had done enough to walk away with the split decision win.
Dan Hooker seemingly broke his hand during the Jalin Turner fight at UFC 290
The bout had some massive highlights from each side. Turner landed a massive head kick in the early moments of the contest. Not many fighters would have survived the head kick, but Hooker showed an extraordinary chin and stood the onslaught. Afterward, he landed some vicious strikes of his own and almost finished Turner many times during the course of the fight. Although he could not get the job done, he did enough to earn the judges’ nod.
Dan Hooker is a SAVAGE 😳 #UFC290 pic.twitter.com/vj5PIorqVC
— UFC (@ufc) July 9, 2023
After the bout, Joe Rogan asked him whether Dan Hooker had broken his hand or not. To that, Hooker replied that he had gotten just a “scratch.” While he did not confirm it, Hooker’s smile hinted at him possibly breaking his hand. So one can imagine how tough the “Hangman” is to fight with a broken hand on the biggest stage and win.
