Dan Hooker Feels No Pressure Ahead of UFC Qatar: “This is a really low-risk, high-reward”
Dan Hooker doesn’t mind being counted out ahead of his return to the Octagon on Saturday.
After a run that saw him drop four out of five, ‘The Hangman’ is sitting on a three-fight win streak, including a highlight-reel knockout of Claudio Puelles and back-to-back split decisions over Jalin Turner and Mateusz Gamrot.
Next, Hooker will look to add another big win to his resume when he meets top-ranked lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan at UFC Qatar.
As it stands, Tsarukyan is a sizeable favorite, with sportsbooks favoring him 5-to-1 against Hooker.
Being counted out long before he even steps foot inside the cage is a familiar feeling for Hooker, and one he welcomes with open arms.
“This is a really low-risk, high-reward fight because everyone thinks Arman’s going to outgrapple me anyway,” Hooker told Submission Radio. “That plays into the mind game, so everything I do becomes a big deal. You can take a lot of ground with a very small maneuver. If people think it’s a 50/50 fight and one fighter scrambles back to their feet, it’s not that big a deal.
“But in Perth, when I scrambled back to my feet, the crowd erupted. If I’m able to stuff takedowns and get back up here in Qatar, there’s not going to be a lot of happy customers. And there’s nothing I love more in this world than ruining people’s days.”
With a win at UFC Qatar, Dan Hooker could jump the lightweight line
Having won four in a row, Tsarukyn practically has a title shot already in his back pocket. So long as he can get past Hooker, he’ll likely be the first man to challenge newly minted 155-pound king Ilia Topuria in 2026.
But if ‘The Hangman’ pulls off another spectacular upset, Hooker could jump the line and secure his first shot at UFC gold.
