Dan Hooker is as game as they come in the UFC — and truly wears every scar as a badge of honor.
Hooker competed against Arman Tsarukyan in the main event of UFC Qatar on Saturday. Tsarukyan took control of the fight early and eventually finished Hooker in the second round with a nasty arm-triangle choke to pick up his fifth straight win, and perhaps, earn a lightweight title fight with Ilia Topuria.
As Bruce Buffer was set to announce Tsarukyan as the winner, Hooker looked up at the big screen to see his face battered, bruised, and lumped up. Of course, Hooker had a great time with it, as you can see in the video below (h/t Submission Radio).
Hooker returned to action for the first time since defeating Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305 in August 2024. “The Hangman” entered the bout with Tsarukyan on a three-fight win streak and the opportunity to get himself firmly into title contention. While Hooker fought hard, he was simply outmatched.
Tsarukyan hopes the victory in his first fight in nearly 600 days was enough to get him back to a lightweight title shot. The 29-year-old was slated to begin the year facing Islam Makhachev for the title at UFC 311 in January, but an injury forced him out of the bout the day before the pay-per-view card.
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