TLDR
- Dan Hooker lost to Arman Tsarukyan via second-round arm-triangle choke at UFC Qatar
- Hooker’s three-fight win streak ended with the submission defeat on Saturday night
- The 35-year-old called out Renato Moicano for his next fight
- Hooker admitted he will never win a UFC championship
- New career goal is to “ruin as many people’s hopes and dreams as I can”
Dan Hooker suffered a second-round submission loss to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC Qatar on Saturday night. The defeat ended his three-fight winning streak and his hopes of earning a lightweight title shot.
Tsarukyan dominated the fight before finishing Hooker with an arm-triangle choke. The victory positioned the Armenian fighter for a potential championship opportunity.
Less than 24 hours after the loss, Hooker spoke with The Mac Life about his future plans. He set his sights on Renato Moicano for his next opponent.
Moicano recently suffered back-to-back losses in the lightweight division. He was submitted by Islam Makhachev in a title fight at UFC 311 in January.
Beneil Dariush then defeated Moicano by decision at UFC 317 in June. The Brazilian has dropped to a lower position in the rankings.
Hooker used humor when discussing the potential matchup with Moicano. “It’s a good fight. We both suck,” he told The Mac Life.
“We both got cooked. Islam cooked him, Arman cooked me,” Hooker continued. “We can have a cook-off.”
Accepting Reality
The New Zealand fighter acknowledged the difficult truth about his championship aspirations. At 35 years old, Hooker accepted that a title belt is out of reach.
“Well, you’ve gotta face the cold, hard truths,” Hooker said. “You’re probably never going to get your hands on a title.”
Despite this realization, Hooker plans to continue fighting. He outlined a new mission for the remainder of his MMA career.
“But I’m going to hang around as long as I possibly can and ruin as many people’s hopes and dreams as I can,” he explained. “If I can’t have nice things, no one can.”
Hooker has now suffered 13 career losses. He was positioned as the No. 11 ranked lightweight heading into the Tsarukyan fight.
New Career Direction
The loss marks a turning point in Hooker’s UFC journey. He was on the verge of a title shot before facing Tsarukyan.
His willingness to fight top contenders has earned him respect from fans. However, this approach has prevented him from climbing the rankings more carefully.
Hooker could have selected easier opponents to build momentum. Instead, he consistently accepted difficult matchups against elite competition.
The fighter joked about his and Moicano’s recent performances. “We’re both s—, but he’s s—ter. Let’s have a s— off,” Hooker said.
Tsarukyan called out featherweight champion Ilia Topuria immediately after defeating Hooker. The win strengthened his case for the next lightweight title shot.
Hooker will now look to bounce back against another fighter coming off losses. The Moicano matchup would give both men a chance to return to the win column.
