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MILWAUKEE – Dan Hooker doesn’t need any added motivation to fight Edson Barboza on Saturday at UFC on FOX 31. He knows exactly what type of opportunity is in front of him, and he intends on taking full advantage.

Hooker (17-7 MMA, 7-3 UFC) meets longtime lightweight contender Barboza (19-6 MMA, 13-6 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC on FOX 31 co-headliner. “The Hangman” is 4-0 with four stoppages since moving up to 155 pounds in June 2017, and now he get the opportunity to truly prove his worth against one of the best in the division.

Some fighters could go an entire career without being in a position like Hooker. He said he’s not oblivious to that fact and has prepared properly to ensure he takes advantage.

“This is what I live for,” Hooker told MMAjunkie. “For opportunities like this, and to compete against the best and to compete against top-five ranked opponents. This is where I get to showcase my skills. It’s been very easy to get up for this. This is why I look for the toughest challenge possible, because now all the training becomes very simple. It becomes very easy when you’re standing in front of a task that big and a name that big. It becomes very easy to get up, very easy to get motivated for the training camp. It’s been mentally not as hard as when you have a lesser-name opponent and you have to motivate yourself for training.”

UFC on FOX 31 takes place at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis. Hooker vs. Barboza airs on the FOX-televised portion of the card following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Hooker has had a career makeover since moving up from featherweight. He said he has no regrets about the timing of it, though, because he got all the bad experiences out of the way in a division where he never intends to compete again. He’s now fighting where he’s most comfortable and surrounded by a team that can hone his abilities better than anyone, and he said that’s an uplifting feeling going into his biggest fight.

Barboza’s only losses in recent years against elite 155-pound fighters in champ Khabib Nurmagomedov and top contenders Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee. The Brazilian, who is No. 8 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings, is never easy to put away, but Hooker believes he has the mental and physical tools to join the list of names to beat Barboza.

“As an opponent stylistically, it’s pretty straightforward with what he’s bringing to the table,” Hooker said. “It’s a simple game, like he’s going to strike and he’s going to defend takedowns like his life depends on it. I don’t feel like that is going to change. He’s very big for the weight class, he’s very fast, very strong. But let’s say the same things that make us strong, make us weak.

“Because he’s so good at those things I feel like he’s set on those things. He’s not showing the same development as a fighter as a lot of different guys and he doesn’t have the versatility that you need to continue to do well in the sport for an extended period of time. I feel like as soon as you get stuck on one thing and you just get set on that, then you cap your development, you put a cap on longevity as a fighter. So for me it’s important to stay versatile and constantly developing my game, which is my biggest priority.”

If Hooker wins at UFC on FOX 31 he would be 5-0 inside the octagon as a lightweight. That would put him in position for a premium fight in the weight class, but he said he’s trying to keep his mind away from the implications of his performance. Hooker said getting ahead of himself has proven detrimental in the past, and he said a key to his success during the recent run has been pushing all those thoughts to the side.

“I try not to focus on the importance of the moment too much, because at this time now, days out from the fight, it really can’t do nothing or you,” Hooker said. “I’m as motivated as I can be. I completely understand the opportunity I have in front of me, but thinking about the moment is not going to help me. I just have to live in the moment and process everything as it comes and not let that distract me from the task at hand.

“The task at hand is just to eat what’s on my plate and not get ahead of myself. Every time throughout my career I’ve got ahead of myself I’ve suffered setbacks. I just eat what’s on my plate now and that’s my major focus. That’s why I’m here now. Just the task ahead, what I can see, my next fight. I focus on that, I dedicate everything to that, I go all-in on that. That’s why I’m here now in this position.”

For more on UFC on FOX 31, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.