Ilia Topuria Under Fire: Arman Tsarukyan Credits Dan Hooker’s Courage, Questions the Champ’s
After submitting Dan Hooker at UFC Qatar, Arman Tsarukyan wasted no time calling out UFC lightweight kingpin Ilia Topuria. Post-fight night, the No. 1 UFC lightweight contender has taken another sly dig at Topuria, accusing the latter of ducking him. The Armenian, meanwhile, praised Hooker for taking up the fight despite it being a stylistically tougher matchup for ‘The Hangman.’
At UFC Qatar, ‘Ahalkalakets’ dominated Hooker on the ground and also on the feet before submitting him in the second frame. With this win, the 29-year-old has once more cemented his place as the No. 1 contender. Earlier this year, when Islam Makhachev was the 155-pound champion, Tsarukyan was slated to challenge him but had to back out in the final hours because of a back injury.
Dana White was not too pleased with the withdrawal and denied Tsarukyan another title shot until he proved himself again. On the other hand, Topuria has not shown interest in fighting him.
After submitting Hooker, Tsarukyan posted on X:
Respect to Dan Hooker for taking the fight. He has bigger b*lls than champ of the division”
Check out Arman Tsarukyan’s comments below:
Ilia Topuria’s brother suggests ‘El Matador’ to defend lightweight strap
Ilia Topuria’s brother, Aleksandre, who also secured a win at UFC Qatar, was asked at the post-fight presser what he thinks should be next for ‘El Matador.’ Aleksandre said:
“The perfect scenario would be to fight for the [welterweight] title, but I think that he has to defend the title in the lightweight division.”
Check out Aleksandre Topuria’s comments about Ilia Topuria below:
After defending his featherweight throne just once, Topuria moved up to lightweight and secured the vacant strap by knocking out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317. His next fight is rumored to be against Justin Gaethje or Paddy Pimblett.
However, now Arman Tsarukyan wants to fight the champion and has even called out the promotion as he seeks a quick turnaround in January 2026.
