Dan Hooker sees Arman Tsarukyan as his most legitimate test at lightweight.
Hooker (24-12 MMA, 14-8 UFC) takes on Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) in the UFC Fight Night 265 main event on Nov. 22 at ABHA Arena in Doha, Qatar (ESPN+). Tsarukyan hasn’t been booked for a matchup since withdrawing from his title fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 in January.
With many viewing Tsarukyan as the rightful No. 1 contender, Hooker is looking to seize the opportunity.
“Justin Gaethje is not that guy, Justin Gaethje doesn’t get me to that guy (champion), Justin Gaethje just gets me a headache,” Hooker told Sky Sports New Zealand. “Arman Tsarukyan is the path to the title. That’s the path to being the champ. That’s the path to being the best guy.”
A +310 underdog, Hooker explained why he looks forward to this test, which appears to be his sternest out of all the top contenders.
“This fight excites me because they feel like he’s a lot better than I am. That’s why this fight excites me so much,” Hooker said. “It’s like anything good that I do. He’s going to start to look like more of an idiot. He was supposed to be this super freak athlete, title contender, the guy to beat Ilia Topuria, they’re hiding the champion from him.
“This is his story, and now he’s losing to Dan Hooker, the bloke from New Zealand who’s lost a third of his fights. It’s like anything I do, starts to make him look more and more human. I feel like he’s the one that has something to prove in the fight, and that’s a difficult spot for a fighter to be.”
