Dan Hooker is ready for war.
On Wednesday, news broke that Hooker will headline the UFC’s first trip to Qatar when he faces Arman Tsarukyan in a five-round lightweight main event. It’s a fight that Hooker has been after for some time, since falling out of his matchup with Justin Gaethje, but Tsarukyan had his sights set on a lightweight title shot instead. But Hooker knew that eventually this would be the fight.
“I knew the fight would come together eventually, just because I know that a lot of people will try to avoid him in the division,” Hooker told Submission Radio. “The champ, I feel like, doesn’t want that fight, which makes a lot of sense to a lot of other people, to look to the fight that makes the most sense to them and to talk their way out of bad stylistic matchups or tough opponents. But yeah, that’s probably the No. 1 reason that drew me to this fight; I think he is the best fighter in the division and I want to beat him.”
That’s not the only reason Hooker wanted the fight. Currently on a three-fight win streak, Hooker is still not among the names considered to be in title contention. A win over Tsarukyan changes that dramatically.
“I feel like whoever wins this fight between me and Arman — if I beat Arman, you have to fight for the title next,” Hooker said. “I feel like that puts you head and shoulders above everyone else as the next guy in line to fight for a title.”
Of course, there’s also the matter of personal beef. Hooker and Tsarukyan have been trading shots back and forth over social media for months, and while he says it won’t effect how he fights, Hooker admits he’s looking forward to hitting Tsarukyan.
“It’ll be exciting for the fans, for the press conference, and getting in each other’s faces, and that,” Hooker said. “Because I think there is a lot of animosity there. I don’t like his face. I don’t like that his face is attached to his body, and I would love to separate the two. I don’t like the bloke. I don’t know anything about him but I hate everything he stands for. Can’t wait to elbow him in the nose.”
There’s one other benefit for Hooker in this fight: expectations. Tsarukyan is the No. 1 lightweight contender and was supposed to challenge for the belt earlier this year. Hooker expects to be counted out by most of the fan base, and perhaps even overlooked by Tsarukyan himself, which is a position he loves to be in.
“I feel like this fight, everything is on him to prove,” Hooker said. “He’s just got to whoop this old man and he’ll get himself a title shot. So I feel like the onus is on him to prove himself. And for me, that leaves me with a lot of freedom. I can come in with no weight on my shoulders and just come in full of venom. I’m full of venom for this fight. When we come in there, I’m just going to be looking to hurt him. I can’t wait.”
UFC Qatar takes place Nov. 22 at Ali Bin Hamad al-Attiyah Arena in Al Rayyan, Qatar.
Dare. Conor McGregor warns Mike Perry that if he doesn’t deliver at BKFC 82 on Saturday, he’s out.
Answer. Alex Pereira isn’t hearing Tom Aspinall’s criticism that he had an easy path to his UFC titles.
Landscaping. UFC CEO Dana White prepared to pay big money to fix South Lawn after UFC White House event.
Busy. Coach John Wood says Merab Dvalishvili is serious about booking four title defenses in 2025.
Next? Belal Muhammad believes if he beats Ian Machado Garry that his next fight will be for a UFC championship.
José Youngs talks ANYTHING but fighting with Khalil Rountree.
Damon Martin talks with Paul Hughes ahead of his heated rematch with Usman Nurmagomedov.
UFC 320 pre-fight press conference.
SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE
That is a very good poster.
I mean, it’s definitely Joe Pyfer, right?
Volkan Oezdemir vs. Alonzo Menifield; UFC Qatar, Nov. 22
Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Kyoji Horiguchi; UFC Qatar, Nov. 22
Felipe Lima vs. Daniel Marcos; UFC Qatar, Nov. 22
Bekzat Almakhan vs. Aleksandre Topuria; UFC Qatar, Nov. 22
Alex Perez vs. Asu Almabayev; UFC Qatar, Nov. 22
Serghei Spivac vs. Shamil Gaziev; UFC Qatar, Nov. 22
Abdulrakhman Yakhyaev vs. Raffael Cerqueira; UFC Qatar, Nov. 22
Bogdan Grad vs. Luke Riley; UFC Qatar, Nov. 22
Ismail Naurdiev vs. Ryan Loder; UFC Qatar, Nov. 22
For the first time in five weeks, it’s UFC pay-per-view time. Are you feeling the hype? I don’t know about you, but I’m not getting that usual Poatan buzz. Is it because we all expect Ankalaev to beat him again? What about the co-main? Is Merab Dvalishvili that much of a sure thing that everyone is counting out Cory Sandhagen already?
Hey, if the top two fights aren’t tickling your fancy, Jiri Prochazka vs. Khalil Rountree is a certified banger.
And don’t forget the Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Paul Hughes rematch at PFL Dubai later today! – Lee
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