Paul Felder vs. Dan Hooker headlines the UFC’s return to New Zealand

Dan Hooker will get the opportunity to headline a show at home as he faces Paul Felder in the main event at UFC Fight Night from Auckland, New Zealand on Feb. 22.

UFC officials announced the pairing on Wednesday.

Following a win over Al Iaquinta in his last fight at UFC 243, Hooker immediately targeted the upcoming show in New Zealand for his next appearance inside the Octagon.

Even teammate Israel Adesanya touted Hooker as the person who deserved to headline the card in New Zealand after amassing a 5-1 record over his past six fights at lightweight, including three knockouts and a submission along the way.

As for Felder, he will travel into enemy territory while trying to build on his own five fight unbeaten streak at lightweight with his only loss in his past six fights coming in a short notice bout at welterweight.

Felder avenged a prior defeat to Edson Barboza in his last performance, which came after a victory over James Vick in early 2019.

Now Felder and Hooker will clash in February with the winner undoubtedly taking a major step towards title contention in arguably the UFC’s deepest division.