Parking Lot or Cage, Dan Hooker Is Going To Attack Arman Tsarukyan “Keep us away from each other.”
The UFC recently announced that fan favorite lightweight Dan “The Hangman” Hooker will make his return to the Octagon after a long injury layoff. He is set to face the number-two-ranked contender Arman Tsarukyan in the main event of UFC Qatar on November 22. Hooker is coming off a split decision win over Mateusz Gamrot in August of last year, and since then, fans have been eagerly awaiting his return.
Tsarukyan has also been inactive for nearly as long, following what UFC President Dana White revealed to be a weight issue ahead of his scheduled title fight against Ilia Topuria at UFC 317. Despite being sidelined, Dan Hooker has remained active in the media and in the good graces of UFC fans through his popular “$50K Backyard/Gym Fight” tournaments.
Hooker recently joined Submission Radio for a Zoom interview, where he shared his thoughts on the upcoming title contender matchup.
No Easy Fights: Hooker Takes On the Division’s Most Dangerous Contender
Hooker said the fight had been in the works for quite a while, and in typical Dan Hooker fashion he insisted that nobody ranked above him would have agreed to face such a dangerous opponent. His main reason for taking the bout, he said, is that he believes Arman Tsarukyan is the best the lightweight division has to offer.
When asked about a game plan, Hooker told Submission Radio, “If he comes in arm’s range to me, I’m going to hit him. That’s the long and short of it. If you put me near the guy, I’m going to try and hit him, throw [expletive] at him, and piss him off. The UFC wants this fight to happen, so it’s on them to keep us away from each other. There’s no show, if I bump into him in the car park the whole thing could get cancelled, but I’m going to do what I’m going to do.”
This fight is as much about pride and legacy as it is about rankings, and both men know a win will change the landscape of the division. Expect fireworks and consequences, because whoever walks out of the cage victorious will have made a loud statement about where the lightweight title picture is headed.
