40 shares SHARE TWEET SMS SEND EMAIL BRISBANE, Australia – Is New Zealand producing the next wave of top MMA talent? Kiwi fighter sure thinks so. Hooker (13-6 MMA, 3-2 UFC) picked up a over featherweight Mark Eddiva (6-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) on Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 85 preliminary card. The bout, which aired on FOX Sports 1 from Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, was the 26-year-old New Zealander’s second in three fights. He also scored a vicious knockout of Hatsu Hioki that was named MMAjunkie’s “” in May 2015. Hooker did some training in the U.S. with Team Elevation, and he thinks that’ll be key for his fellow countrymen to make an impact in the sport. “We’re in the bottom corner of the world, so it was for me, it was to go out and see the world and see the level that’s out there, and to compare my skill set to theirs,” he said after the fight. “In New Zealand, we have some of the best fighters, man. There are some talented guys in the gym and on themats.” He thinks his success could inspire the country’s young prospects, and in turn, he believes they’ll soon make a name for themselves. “We have a lot of up-and-coming guys,” he said. “I’ll say in the next few years – in the next two, three, four years – you’re going to have there or four or five Kiwis in the top 10 in different divisions.” Check out the full video above. And for more on , check out the section of the site. , , , , ,   More News