Exciting UFC Lightweight Dan Hooker is also known for being outspoken. Whether it was his explosive post-fight callout of Dustin Poirier or his ‘X’ accusation that Islam Makhachev used an IV drip to rehydrate, Hooker does not mince words when something gets under his skin. His jab at MMA veteran Jake Shields’ recent tweet on r*pe victims is the latest example.
A couple of days ago, former top UFC Welterweight Jake Shields tweeted that women who falsely accuse men of r*pe should be penalized with lengthy imprisonments. The Hangman shot down the decorated veteran’s statement as, “Strange hill to die on“.
Strange hill to die on. https://t.co/dHooqA3DRL
— Dan Hangman Hooker (@danthehangman) September 18, 2023
Jake Shields’ tweet is the latest in a series of them bashing women who stayed silent when they were subjected to the abuse and publicly accusing their tormenters much later. He said that these kinds of delayed accusations are politically motivated and undermine actual r*pe victims.
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Shields also railed against Jordan Martin, an ex-girlfriend of popular British actor and podcast host, Russell Brand, for claiming that the latter was abusive towards her during their six-month relationship in 2007. Martin self-published a book in 2014 about her rocky fling, filled with numerous incidents of ill-treatment at the hands of Brand.
In previous tweets, Shields has said that he is a fan of Russell Brand’s podcast, calling it very informative. Shields also went on to defend whistleblower and founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, and controversial social media influencer and men’s rights activist, Andrew Tate of r*pe allegations.
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Shields also took Tate’s side in an earlier controversy. In December 2022, following an online spat between Tate and Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg. Shields said that Tate should give Thunberg a “proper smashing” so that she abandons her “crazy feminist/climate nonsense“. His comments were lambasted by many and labeled derogatory and misogynistic.
Shields is very vocal in calling for extreme penalties for what he considers major transgressions. This April, he asked via a tweet if all doctors, therapists, guidance counselors, and teachers who assist children in gender transitioning should be publicly executed. The comments infuriated many transgender activists, following which the tweet was deleted and Shields’ account was suspended for a week.
Oh, nothing to see here. Just a well-known MMA fighter with a massive following on this site calling for teachers and doctors to be strung up in the town square. pic.twitter.com/vIpB3INm97
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) April 26, 2023
In a career spanning nearly twenty years, Shields holds wins over the who’s who of MMA – Carlos Condit, Robbie Lawler, Dan Henderson, Jason Miller, Demian Maia, and Tyron Woodley, to name a few. His last fight was in the PFL in 2018, a loss to Ray Cooper III. Since then, he has gained infamy with his unapologetic and inflammatory tweets.
Dan Hooker has previously thrown shade at Jon Jones over domestic violence incident
Jake Shields isn’t the first or biggest name to draw Dan Hooker’s ire when it comes to matters of violence against women. In September 2021, current Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones was taken into custody for domestic violence against the mother of his children, Jessie Moses. Though Jones was not charged and denied the allegations, he was temporarily banned from his longtime gym, Jackson Wink MMA Academy.
In the aftermath, Jones tweeted that he had “a heartbreaking conversation with one of my longtime coaches” and that it “really hurts to lose the support of someone I respect so much”.
MMA legend Chael Sonnen was incensed by Jones’ comments and called them “disgusting“. He explained the reason for his barb, saying, “The reason that tweet is disgusting is he used the word team. You have the most selfish guy in sport using the word team when convenient”.
But just a few months later, in December 2021, Sonnen was given 5 battery citations for a brawl in a Las Vegas hotel. Although there was no official statement, many MMA outlets and fighters stated that Sonnen was in reality standing up for his wife, who had been slurred vulgarly by the other party. Veteran MMA referee Big John McCarthy asked Sonnen about the dust-up and gave MMA fans his side of the story on his podcast.
“He goes, ‘Look, some people wanna say things to my wife. That’s not a good idea.’ And I don’t blame him. Certain things that are off-limits. Someone’s wife is off-limits. And someone wanted to say something. He goes, ‘John, I didn’t beat him up. I didn’t hurt him. I just scared him.’ And that’s what battery is ‘”.
Sonnen has in the past slammed Jon Jones for his numerous run-ins with the law over the years. Upon hearing of Sonnen’s predicament, Jon Jones was quick to swipe back at his former opponent, tweeting, “Chael Sonnen, I’m not gonna sit here and celebrate you getting battery charges against a female last night. That would make me like you, and I’m nothing like you“.
Soon after, former UFC Heavyweight Brendan Schaub came to Sonnen’s defense saying that he was defending his wife’s honor, unlike Jon Jones. This is when Dan Hooker supported Schaub’s position in a tweet:
Imagine beating up 5 people and not one of them is your wife. (JJones RN 🤯) https://t.co/Jzw6oVC640
— Dan Hangman Hooker (@danthehangman) December 22, 2021
Jones then rounded on Hooker by claiming that the latter was venting his frustrations on him because his career had hit a skid at the time. Jones compared Hooker to his teammate Israel Adesanya and belittled him that he hadn’t achieved Adesanya’s heights of success.
Jon said, “Bro your career is simply not panning out, that’s my response. Lol. Every opportunity you’ve had to make a name for yourself and be closer to your boy Izzy, you dropped the ball. You can’t achieve greatness, so you hop online and attack someone who has”. Hooker did not take Jones’ jabs lying down and fired back with his own tweet:
Life hack: if you don’t beat up your wife, family events will be more enjoyable. Merry Xmas bitch. https://t.co/tc1uQNm8ov
— Dan Hangman Hooker (@danthehangman) December 25, 2021
It happened to be that both Hooker and Jones had fights booked for UFC 285. MMA journalist Oscar Willis noticed this and asked Hooker if the ‘X’ fight would lead to a physical altercation if they sat next to each other at the pre-fight press conference.
Hooker only expressed his indifference, saying, “Yeah I don’t really give a s**t about that. I’ve been talking s**t my whole life. This is not the first time I’m gonna bump into someone I’ve talked s**t to“.
Their hostilities never escalated as Hooker had to pull out of his fight with Jalin Turner at UFC 285 due to a hand injury. There has been no sign of animosity between the two since. Hooker’s fight with Jalin Turner was postponed to UFC 290 and ‘The Hangman’ emerged victorious with a split decision. Jon Jones’ highly anticipated return to the octagon will see him defend the Heavyweight belt against former champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 on November 11.
