Dan Hooker Ready to Face Arman Tsarukyan Because “I Want the Toughest Road Possible”
Dan Hooker isn’t interested in taking the easy road to a UFC title shot.
Just a few short years ago, Hooker looked like his days as a legitimate contender in the lightweight division were over. Now, ‘The Hangman’ has won three straight, including a massive split-decision W over Mateusz Gamrot last year.
Next, Hooker will look to climb towards the top of the top 10 when he meets No. 2 ranked Arman Tsarukyan at UFC Qatar on November 22.
“A lot of people see Arman as the toughest fight in the division, even more so than Ilia Topuria,” Hooker told Submission Radio. “They try to avoid it. But you guys know me—I don’t do things the easy way. I want the toughest road possible. I love it. Everyone will think he’s better than me and that I’m not going to beat him, but that really brings out the best of me.
“I can come in there with no weight on my shoulders and just come in full of venom. I am full of venom for this fight… I’m just going to be looking to hurt him. I can’t wait.”
An 11-year veteran of the Octagon, Hooker is 14-8 in his UFC career with half of his wins coming by way of KO/TKO.
Meanwhile, Tsarukyan enters the contest on a four-fight win streak, his most recent victory coming against former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira. That win was good enough to earn him a shot against the then-titleholder, Islam Makhachev. However, Tsarukyan pulled out of their UFC 311 headliner mere hours before the event due to an alleged back injury.
