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MANILA, Philippines – Filipino fighter Mark Eddiva easily received the green light for his 3-round featherweight clash against New Zealander Daniel Hooker at UFC Fight Night 85 on Sunday, March 20 as he met the contracted weight limit at the official weigh-in on Saturday, March 19.
Eddiva tipped the scales at exactly 145 pounds while Hooker came in a pound heavier, which is allowable for a non-title featherweight contest.
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<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mark Eddiva makes weight (145 lbs) for his bout against New Zealand's Daniel Hooker. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UFCBrisbane?src=hash">#UFCBrisbane</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RapplerSports">@RapplerSports</a> <a href="https://t.co/uTVdt4cDcH">pic.twitter.com/uTVdt4cDcH</a></p>— NISSI ICASIANO (@Nissi_Icasiano) <a href="https://twitter.com/Nissi_Icasiano/status/711032738178924544">March 19, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Eddiva (6-2) is currently on a two-fight losing skid, yielding to Edimilson Souza by first-round stoppage in May 2014 before bowing down to Levan Makashvili via unanimous decision a year later.
To compound the misery, his disappointing setback to Makashvili happened at UFC’s first live event on Philippine shores.
Prior to his two-straight losses, the 30-year-old Baguio City native became the second homegrown Filipino stalwart to be enlisted in the UFC roster, defeating Jumabieke Tuerxun via 5-round verdict in his March 2014 promotional debut.
It may be a do-or-die situation for Eddiva as another defeat could put him dangerously close to the UFC’s cut line.
On the other hand, Hooker (12-6) has alternated wins and losses in his last 4 UFC outings and is coming off a decision setback to Yair Rodriguez this past October.
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<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Eddiva's opponent Daniel Hooker checks in at 146 pounds. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UFCBrisbane?src=hash">#UFCBrisbane</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RapplerSports">@RapplerSports</a> <a href="https://t.co/2o5obr53e7">pic.twitter.com/2o5obr53e7</a></p>— NISSI ICASIANO (@Nissi_Icasiano) <a href="https://twitter.com/Nissi_Icasiano/status/711034747019919360">March 19, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Hooker is known to be a high-level Muay Thai practitioner, winning 6 of his 12 victories by knockout.
Eddiva is expecting his Kiwi opponent to engage in a toe-to-toe trade with him as both men are highly regarded for their respective striking backgrounds that earned them a UFC contract in 2014.
“More or less, it’s going to be a stand-up battle. Though I have a Wushu background, I can’t say that it will be my advantage in that department because he’s also a striker. But I prefer that kind of fight,” Eddiva told Rappler.
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<blockquote class="twitter-video" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here is the staredown between Mark Eddiva and Daniel Hooker. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UFCBrisbane?src=hash">#UFCBrisbane</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RapplerSports">@RapplerSports</a> <a href="https://t.co/fhG4lfTXns">pic.twitter.com/fhG4lfTXns</a></p>— NISSI ICASIANO (@Nissi_Icasiano) <a href="https://twitter.com/Nissi_Icasiano/status/711036786512777217">March 19, 2016</a></blockquote>
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UFC Fight Night 85 takes place at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia. – Rappler.com
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