Latest news with #DanHooker
RNZ News
21 hours ago
- General
- RNZ News
Backyard battles take fighting off street, participant says
Hamilton man Cameron Harcourt (left), with an opponent at the King of the Street event on 24 May. Photo: Supplied A participant in a controversial street fighting competition is defending it, saying amateur tournaments remove violence from the streets. An unregulated tournament promoted by New Zealand mixed martial arts fighter Dan Hooker was held in a suburban Auckland backyard on Saturday 24 May , with 32 combatants competing for a $50,000 prize. Hooker said the only major injury was to a fighter's arm and signalled plans to host further events , despite criticism. New Zealand Boxing Coaches Association president Billy Meehan described the event as "thuggery, not sport", but Hamilton fighter Cameron Harcourt, who travelled up for the event, said the backlash was unfair. "We're going to fight anyway," he said. "There's fights on the streets. "The same way Streetbeefs in America started to get the fights off the streets. If you had beef, you apply for this and you jump in, and it gives us a place to do it in a controlled environment. "The thuggery is taken out and we've turned it into a sport." Streetbeefs is an unregulated American backyard fighting club and You Tube channel, hosting different combat codes. The founders said it was established as a response to more "dangerous forms of street and gun violence". Cameron Harcourt (right) says the Auckland backyard fighting event took violence off the street and put it in a controlled environment. Photo: Supplied Police are investigating one fighter from the Saturday event, who was seen wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet in social media footage of his fight. Harcourt said he wanted to prove that the fights were a fair playing field, and not all about "tattoos and gang affiliations". "Nothing changes what someone is - we're all humans. Doesn't matter about your colour, your size, your age, your background, we're all people and we all bleed. "I think it is a good sport and I love fighting for that." Up to nine different gangs were reportedly represented at the tournament. Fighters had to sign a waiver before taking part, stipulating that involvement was at their discretion. He said, unlike team sports like rugby, he enjoyed how he was the only person accountable, if the fight did not go his way. "You're stuck in a ring with contact and you just feel alive, and it's just sick," he said. "It's also art. "You can create your combos and perform them. It's just a wicked sport." Although billed as an amateur event, it is understood a professional fighter won the tournament. Harcourt hoped to contest a planned tournament in Christchurch later this year. The Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) suggests participants of amateur street fighting events will be covered under the scheme, as it did not require details of how injuries occur. An agency spokesperson said the scheme operated on a no-fault basis. "All New Zealanders pay levies in different ways. The money we collect goes into one of our five accounts. "We use each account to cover specific types of injuries. For example, if someone is injured playing sports, the money used to support their recovery is dependent on their individual circumstances." Last year, the cost of active ACC claims for sport and recreation injuries exceeded $1 billion, while accidental injuries in the home and community, which covered injuries from assaults and also concussion, cost more than $2.3 billion. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
NZ Herald
3 days ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Dan Hooker plans more backyard fight events despite backlash
Kiwi mixed martial arts fighter Dan Hooker has vowed to stage more backyard fights in future. The UFC lightweight last weekend hosted 32 men at his Auckland home for a 'one-minute scrap' tournament with a $50,000 cash prize. He's just released the full video of the event
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
UFC star Dan Hooker vows more backyard scraps after backlash
Dan Hooker stressed professional referees and medical staff were in attendance. Photo: youtube Kiwi mixed martial arts fighter Dan Hooker has vowed to stage more backyard fights in future. The UFC lightweight last weekend hosted 32 men at his Auckland home for a 'one-minute scrap' tournament with a $50,000 cash prize. He's just released the full video of the event on Youtube, showcasing 30 fights in less than an hour. The event has drawn heavy criticism from both the public and boxing pundits, as well as attracting police attention. Speaking on the Ariel Helwani Show, Hooker questioned the backlash. "There's a few lefties having a sulk, but once everyone watches the full 45 minutes and sees the respect for the fighters, since when did putting gloves on in the backyard and having a punch up illegal?" he said. "Since when is that a crime?" Hooker stressed that professional referees and medical staff were present. "It's being run by some of the most experienced combat sports people in the country. Once they watch the whole thing, they will just be, like, 'Oh, it doesn't matter, it's not that big of a deal'." Dan Hooker claims the only major injury was to a fighter's arm, while others were put through concussion protocols. Photo: youtube "I knew that everyone would think it was crazy, I knew there would be people who would have issues with it. I wanted it at my house, so i could control it. "I had some amazing people step up to the plate and make it all run smoothly." Hooker said the only major injury was to a fighter's arm. "There were a couple bumps, a couple scrapes, obviously a few of the boys were run through concussion protocol." With a three-second knockdown rule and two knockdowns ending the bout, Hooker believed his event was actually safer than boxing. "These boys are a lot less banged up." All fighters were given a $1000 cash bonus and, combined with the grand prize, a total of $82,000 was awarded. The bouts were fought under a three-second knowdown rule or two knockdowns ending the contest. Photo: youtube Hooker said this was funded through clicks. "People on the internet want wild new content clips and that pays for the $50,000 for the winner." While he initially planned for just a one-off event, Hooker has been driven by the critics to host another. "Now you've challenged me. I was going to leave it, but now there are people trying to stop me - now I am honourbound and forced to pursue it. "I'm just a man with an iphone and a dream. I didn't know it would go that good, so we'll do another one definitely this year." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
MMA fighter Dan Hooker vows to stage more backyard fights
Kiwi MMA fighter Dan Hooker has vowed to stage more backyard fights in future. The UFC lightweight last weekend hosted 32 men in a 'one minute scrap' tournament for a 50,000 dollar prize. Sports reporter Jonty Dine spoke to Lisa Owen. Tags: To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dan Hooker scoffs at critics of his viral backyard brawls tournament: 'Now I have to do it' more
Dan Hooker can't currently compete in sanctioned combat, but that doesn't mean he can't organize a backyard tussle or two. Although the MMA world took a collective break this past Memorial Day weekend, the holiday didn't stop the top-ranked UFC lightweight contender from putting on fights at his home. Last Saturday, Hooker invited 32 men to his New Zealand backyard, taking the internet by storm with a winner-take-all tournament of one-minute brawls. Advertisement Speaking on Wednesday's edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show," Hooker explained how this wild, throwback concept materialized. "I got contacted a while back by a crazy Russian fight show, made my way out to Thailand where they had put it on in, like, a warehouse," Hooker said. "They brought me out to host it. So I brought a couple fighters with me from New Zealand, but I had nothing to do with the organization or kind of planning that event. Then I just saw how they got down. They had 32-man, one-minute fights. I took the idea and I saw how you could run it smoother — or how I would do it, you know?" Hooker, 35, has only shared a steady drip of clips from the event over the past few days, but plans to upload the entire hour-long tournament this Friday. Advertisement Dealing with a broken hand, Hooker has been on the mend since his injury forced him out of a scheduled matchup against Justin Gaethje in March. He recently underwent a successful surgery and hopes to return by September or October. Meanwhile, Hooker's having fun watching fights as closely as one can get without physically being involved. The one-minute backyard fights allowed punches only, and each fight had judges, a medic and a referee to keep things organized. Out of all the bouts, Hooker said only one real injury occurred when someone hurt their arm. The limited rules included a three-second knockdown rule and a TKO loss if knocked down twice. Everyone received $1,000 to compete, with the winner taking home $50,000. "I just put a video up on Instagram, and people messaged me," Hooker said of finding competitors. "I just kind of looked through. You spend enough time, you know how to filter through everything. Advertisement "It's just a man with an iPhone and a dream. I knew that everyone would think it was crazy. I knew that there would be people who had issues with it, so I wanted to match[make] it — I wanted it at my house so I could control it. I had some amazing people step up to the plate." Controlling the festivities was an essential part of the evening for Hooker. What looked like a group of friends throwing down in the backyard could easily attract problematic attention — and it did from some. Hooker initially hadn't put much thought into continuing the concept for multiple iterations, however the minor complaints he's received since have acted only as fuel to carry on rather than stop. Advertisement "Deter me? I feel like you're now — you've challenged me now," Hooker said of detractors. "I was going to leave it. There's people trying to stop me? Now I have to do it. Now I'm unbound and forced to pursue it. "Once everyone watches the full 45 minutes and just sees the respect for all the fighters that's shown to each other, you see that it's just a couple of guys who end up putting gloves on in the backyard. When did having a punch-out with your mates become illegal? Since when was that a crime? And it's being run by some of the most experienced combat sports people in the country. Thousands of fights, medically trained. If that's illegal, then they've got better things to do."
