Outside Source
Hooker faced Tsarukyan at UFC Qatar this past November. Tsarukyan looked nearly flawless en route to a second -ound submission win over Hooker. While there was no apparent beef between them, Hooker stayed true to his character by throwing a few jabs at Tsarukyan leading up to the fight. However, Hooker recently revealed that he has no animosity with Tsarukyan. “The Hangman” has turned into a fan of Tsarukyan and also sympathizes with him on the title snub.
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Despite Tsarukyan being the top contender, he has been denied a lightweight title shot multiple times as punishment for pulling out of a scheduled title fight against Islam Makhachev last year. “Ahalkalakets” most recently watched from the cageside as Justin Gaethje defeated Paddy Pimblett to win the interim lightweight title at UFC 324 last weekend. Gaethje is expected to unify the title against champion Ilia Topuria, who is currently on a short hiatus. However, Hooker doesn’t think Gaethje stands a chance against Topuria, judging by his performance at UFC 324. “The Hangman” believes Tsarukyan instead deserves a title shot against Topuria.
Best Years Wasted
“I like Arman now,” Hooker said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “He’s won me over as a fan. The saddest part about it is that the best years of his career are being wasted, bro. He should be fighting Ilia. Who don’t want to see that? Let’s be real, let’s be honest… After watching Paddy-Gaethje, who the f—k thinks Gaethje can beat Ilia?”
Hooker (24-13) is set to face Benoit St. Denis (16-3) at UFC 325 on Saturday at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia.
Dan Hooker says Arman Tsarukyan’s prime years are being wasted without a title shot 👏🫡
“I like Arman now. He’s won me over as a fan. The saddest part about it is that the best years of his career are being wasted, bro. He should be fighting Ilia. Who don’t want to see that?… pic.twitter.com/pi5G5oEx2v
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) January 27, 2026
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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