Dan Hooker is in good spirits after his loss this past weekend.
On Saturday, Hooker took on Arman Tsarukyan in the main event of UFC Qatar. It didn’t go well for him. Tsarukyan ran roughshod over Hooker, dominating the fight before finishing “The Hangman” with an arm-triangle choke in the second round. But despite the setback, Hooker isn’t too upset.
“I got to the hospital last night, got scanned and everything,” Hooker told The Mac Life. “Everything’s all good. They said, ‘Your nose was broken.’ I was like, well, that was the weigh-ins, not the fight. [Laughs] …
“There’s not much to break down,” Hooker continued. “It is what it is. Took a swing at the No. 1 fighter in the world. He’s good. What do you want me to say? [Laughs] … It is what it is. It was just dumb. Swing big, miss big.”
Hooker went on to confirm that he’s not dealing with anything major leaving the loss, noting that his hands are fine, and saying he’s ready to get back to action soon. In fact, Hooker already has an opponent in mind.
“It’s all good. I went to the hospital, got a call, Hunter Campbell gave us a call,” Hooker said. “Picked it up with a sad face, and he’s like, ‘Are you all right, Dan?’ I just go, ‘[Renato] Moicano sucks.’ I said, ‘Moicano sucks, let me give Moicano a hiding. Let’s have an old man fight.’
“It is what it is. You took a swing at the No. 1 [fighter] and it didn’t play out. Now I know what you have to do. I’m not going to hold up the division. I’m prepared to fight down in the rankings. Let’s go.”
Moicano is currently on a two-fight losing streak, having lost to Islam Makhachev in January and then Beneil Dariush in June. And Hooker thinks “Money” in the rumored Australia fight card in February makes perfect sense.
“Moicano and then I’d love to fight close to home,” Hooker said. “I’d love to fight on the Sydney card there in February. So Moicano in Sydney.”
And as for why he’s so keen on Moicano, Hooker thinks the matchup of fan favorites could be just as fun outside the cage as it will be once the octagon door closes.
“I think Moicano’s a fun fight,” Hooker said. “I think we can have some fun together. A bit of back and forth. …
“It’s a good fight, we both suck. We both got cooked. Islam [Makhachev] cooked him, Arman cooked me. We’ll have a cookoff.”
And for what it’s worth, Moicano seems down. After Hooker’s callout made the rounds on social media, “Money” responded, calling him “easy money.
“DAN HOOKER EASY MONEY 🤣”
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Honestly, Hooker vs. Moicano is a pretty perfect callout. Dan Hooker knows ball.
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