Dan Hooker is fine being considered a gatekeeper heading into UFC Paris.

Hooker is set to headline UFC Paris on Saturday against newcomer Salahdine Parnasse. Heading into the fight, Hooker is a sizable +420 underdog while the Frenchman is a -650 favorite on FanDuel.

Although Hooker is a sizable underdog, he has plenty of confidence in himself that he can silence the Paris crowd and upset Parnasse. If he does upset Parnasse, Hooker knows he won’t be considered a gatekeeper anymore and will be back to a true contender.

“I’m more than happy to play the role that I’m in right now and the role that I’m in right now is gatekeeping the top 10 of the UFC’s lightweight division,” Hooker said at UFC Paris media day. “And I’m more than happy to play that role. Is that a position that defines my career? No, it’s not. You get your hand raised, and then I’ll be looking up at the rankings, and I’ll be looking to get back in the mix and to get myself back to title contention.

Dan Hooker eyes top-10 opponent after UFC Paris

“Yes, you’re playing the role of a gatekeeper right now, but that doesn’t define your career, the future of your career. The beauty of the sport is it can change in one single night. You get your hand raised against Salahdine with an impressive fight, and showcase the skill and the level that I’m prepared to showcase, that I anticipate of showcasing, we’re back in the mix, we’re not playing that role anymore, we’re targeting someone in the top 10.”

If Hooker does beat Parnasse at UFC Paris, he does want a top-10 opponent next. Even though Parnasse is a UFC newcomer, he does think highly of him and points to the fact that he’s headlining a UFC card in his debut.

Dan Hooker enters UFC Paris with a record of 24-14 and is coming off back-to-back stoppage losses. He suffered a TKO loss to Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 325 in February and suffered a submission loss to Arman Tsarukyan before that.

Do you think Dan Hooker can pull off the upset at UFC Paris?

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