Kiwi’s UFC fighter Dan Hooker has shared a heartbreaking photo of his daughter, who is standing behind a metal fence and can’t get any closer to him.
And Hooker’s pain was only compounded by the fact that he now has to be in quarantine for 14 days after returning home.
As he showed on Instagram on Tuesday, he can see and speak to his family, but they have to stay behind a metal fence two meters away.
“So close yet so far,” Hooker wrote next to a photo of his little daughter clinging to the metal barricade as she watched.
Poirier even got wind of his defeated rival’s post and expressed his condolences.
“Sorry you’re going through this man, stay strong,” he wrote on Instagram.
A number of MMA journalists were also impressed by the heartbreaking photo.
I’m sorry that you’re going through this man. Stay strong brother
– The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) June 30, 2020
Man. I can’t imagine how difficult that is for Hooker.
ICYMI, because he flew (and fought) to Vegas, now has to be quarantined in a hotel in New Zealand for 14 days. This is the best thing that he can come to his family in this two-week period. https://t.co/LejksAFMby
– Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani), June 30, 2020
It sucks, amazing what sacrifice these guys make. Something that is often taken for granted ????????
– Niall McGrath (@ niallmcgrath4), June 30, 2020
Jacinda Ardern under fire due to virus restrictions
As of Monday, there were 20 active cases in New Zealand, one of which was in a stable condition in the hospital.
Last week it was announced that most people who were allowed to leave COVID 19 quarantine in June did so without being tested.
Of the 55 kiwis that provided compassionate exemptions to leave isolation between June 9th and 16th, all but four did so without testing.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern speaks during a post-cabinet press conference in Wellington. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins / Getty Images)
After the Prime Minister’s introduction, host Mike Hosking said the quarantine facilities were not “up to date”.
“You forgot that (the system) did what it had to do there, Mike,” said Ms. Ardern.
“Apart from the time when it didn’t do what it had to do,” Mr. Hosking told the Prime Minister and asked her to respond that it was “addressed, Mike”.
Then he asked her if she accepted her “mistakes”.
“Mike, I’m going to take a short step back to create some global context,” said Ms. Ardern.
“There is no set of rules for what we do. In fact, New Zealand belongs to only a handful of countries due to the fact that we are quarantined.
“The fact that we prescribe tests in these facilities makes us the strictest in the world when it comes to our borders.”
Pourier beats Hooker in “Battle of the Year”
Poirier absorbed several heavy punches, but ultimately delivered some of his own and overtook Hooker for a unanimous win.
Poirier (26-6) and Hooker (20-9) boxed at an unbelievable pace in the first two rounds. Both stopped, even though they were rocked several times.
Hooker almost ended it on lap 2 after both fighters were already bloody, but Poirier slowly took control of the track.
He showed his stamina in an impressive final round and scored 48-47 from two judges and 48-46 from the third.
Dustin Poirier celebrates after defeating Dan Hooker at the UFC Fight Night. (Photo by Chris Unger / Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
It was Poirier’s first fight since losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov in a light championship match in September 2019, the longest time between struggles in his career.
In October he had hip surgery that prevented him from straining his leg for eight weeks.
But the 31-year-old proved that he had the stamina to cover the distance and then said that he “had a few more laps in me”.
“It was a tough man,” said Poirier. “Dan came to fight. He’s a tough guy on the rise. “
