UFC lightweight Dan Hooker has taken “fighting at home” to a whole new level, by literally hosting a one-minute fight tournament in his own backyard. What started as a cheeky experiment has turned into a viral sensation, with Hooker’s backyard brawls drawing more attention than some regional MMA cards.
Dan Hooker’s Backyard Fights – Blood, beer, and $50K
“We had one-minute scraps in the back garden.” Dan Hooker explained, in an interview with The Mac Life. Inspired by a trip to Thailand where he hosted a similar event, Dan Hooker decided New Zealand’s super heavyweights deserved their own moment. “Three fights into it, I was standing here and I said, ‘I knew this would be a good idea.’”
The setup was simple: fighters weighed in (with some creative math), gloves went on, and the bell rang. “Some were a bit cheeky with their weights,” Dan Hooker noted, recalling one fighter who claimed 180 kilos but tipped the scales at 202. “There are some units out there, six foot seven, six foot nine. With respect, I say this with love: a lot of people here in New Zealand are literally bred to be bouncers.”
Despite the size and power on display, safety was front and center. “It ran smooth, not a single issue. We knocked out about 30 fights in an hour, and no serious injuries,” Hooker said. The most serious mishap? “One fighter hurt his arm punching someone else, and that was the most serious injury we had for the day. Everyone went home safe.”
The vibe shifted quickly from tense to festive. “It was a bit tense at first, I’m not going to lie. There was a little tension in the air. But after the third or fourth fight, people realized no one’s getting judged—like, ‘Oh, you got knocked out.’ Everyone was almost supportive in a way. It got into, let’s say, a family barbecue kind of vibe to be honest with you.”
For those worried about backyard chaos, Dan Hooker insists everything was above board. “There were judges, a very competent referee, medics, everything was in place. Everyone did an incredible job.” Even the neighbors, apparently, were unfazed.
Not everyone was convinced, though. “A couple of boxing oldheads watched the same Instagram video as everyone else and made assumptions. You make assumptions, you make an ass out of yourself and an ass out of me,” Hooker quipped. “But they’re doing my promotion for me, I’m in the national paper, I’m in the paper in Australia. Everyone wants to hear about it.”
Matching fighters proved a challenge, with weights ranging from 95 to 205 kilos. “We matched similar weights in the first round, so by the time it goes up, you’re getting experienced, skillful fighters and the weights become a lot closer. It wasn’t the heaviest or biggest guy who had the most success that day.”
As for the prize? “Fifty grand to the winner, and the doctor was so happy with how it all went, he gave a thousand bucks to all the fighters as well. Everyone was super respectful, even the neighbors were cool. It was over before anyone knew it started, and everyone got home safe. Nothing bad happened.”
Dan Hooker isn’t done yet. “We’ll do another one. We’ll consider this a North Island event and then plan on doing an event in the South Island. I’m not a promoter, I’m a fighter, I did it because I was injured. When I get bored, I have scraps in the back garden. I just thought it was an incredible idea.”
In the end, Dan Hooker’s backyard fight club might just be the most wholesome, if slightly bruising, community event New Zealand never knew it needed.
