Arman Tsarukyan has to wait until Saturday to get his hands on Dan Hooker, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t find another way to get physical with his UFC Qatar opponent.
At Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins, Tsarukyan and Hooker went face to face and then head to head after Tsarukyan leaned in to butt Hooker, nearly sparking a brawl. UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard and onstage security were quick to separate Saturday’s headliners, but not before they had of time to exchange words and threaten to escalate the situation.
Watch the incident at the ceremonial weigh-ins below.
Hooker appeared to flinch forward first and Tsarukyan met him in kind, lightly jabbing Hooker with his head. Hooker briefly left the stage, but returned to deliver pre-fight comments.
“Let’s go,” Hooker said. “I love it. Bring it on.”
Tsarukyan also had his turn to speak and he made his intentions clear.
“I’m going to show a great knockout,” Tsarukyan said. “I’m going to get my title next.”
Tsarukyan competes for the first time since earning a split decision win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 in April 2024. He was supposed to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title at UFC 311 this past January, but lost the opportunity when he suffered an injury a day before fight night.
Hooker looks to steal Tsarukyan’s spot in the contender line. “The Hangman” has been hampered by hand injuries, but is currently on a three-fight win streak and he could play the spoiler with an impressive performance Saturday.
Subscribe to my channel
