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Dan Hooker admits distractions crept in before recent UFC struggles Dan Hooker admits that distractions outside the Octagon affected the habits he carried for most of his career. The veteran lightweight explained that as his profile grew, so did the demands away from fighting. Between his businesses, his own fight show, various deals, travel and meetings, Hooker found it increasingly difficult to maintain the singular focus he once had. He claims he has since regained his focus and is prepared for his upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship main event against Salahdine Parnasse. Hooker is set to return to the Octagon on Sept. 5 at UFC Paris against Parnasse. Ahead of the bout, “The Hangman” discussed the impact of not putting his all into competition. “Obviously, with success and you get to the higher moving up, you get pulled in a million different directions,” Hooker said in a recent interview. “I got my own fight show, you know, you got your own businesses, you got deals and you know, you're flying here for a meeting and you're going here for a holiday; you get it's quite easy to get distracted. Some of those distractions crept into my habits.” “The previous 10 years was eat, sleep, train, eat, sleep, train, eat, sleep, train, fight. That’s all it was,” he added. The Kiwi, who has been finished in his last two bouts, claims these habits ultimately contributed to bad performances. “That led to the last few performances where you're just not showing up and giving it the time and energy and focus that this career requires,” Hooker said. The veteran lightweight explained that as his profile grew, so did the demands away from fighting. Between his businesses, his own fight show, various deals, travel and meetings, Hooker found it increasingly difficult to maintain the singular focus he once had. He claims he has since regained his focus and is prepared for his upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship main event against Salahdine Parnasse. Advertisement Dan Hooker says lost focus affected his recent UFC performances Hooker is set to return to the Octagon on Sept. 5 at UFC Paris against Parnasse. Ahead of the bout, “The Hangman” discussed the impact of not putting his all into competition. “Obviously, with success and you get to the higher moving up, you get pulled in a million different directions,” Hooker said in a recent interview. “I got my own fight show, you know, you got your own businesses, you got deals and you know, you're flying here for a meeting and you're going here for a holiday; you get it's quite easy to get distracted. Some of those distractions crept into my habits.” Hooker then emphasized that his routine in the early portion of his career was solely focused on fighting. “The previous 10 years was eat, sleep, train, eat, sleep, train, eat, sleep, train, fight. That’s all it was,” he added. The Kiwi, who has been finished in his last two bouts, claims these habits ultimately contributed to bad performances. “That led to the last few performances where you're just not showing up and giving it the time and energy and focus that this career requires,” Hooker said. “I've turned the noise down on everything else going on in my life.” — UFC News (@UFCNews) September 1, 2026 Dan Hooker (@danthehangman) rededicated himself to training and feels fully prepared to welcome Salahdine Parnasse to the UFC. #UFCParis Fight by Fight Preview ➡️: https://t.co/fbp0AErhpM pic.twitter.com/hqV6VMluqV « Previous Justin Gaethje says his UFC legacy is ‘fulfilled’ after Topuria win Next Alex Apodaca defends Bella Mir on heels of historic DWCS upset backlash » More