TLDR
- Arman Tsarukyan defeated Dan Hooker by second-round arm-triangle choke at UFC Qatar
- Topuria posted a message on X calling Tsarukyan a “scared duck” and referencing a backstage slap
- Tsarukyan responded by calling Topuria insecure and challenging him to a real fight
- Sean O’Malley believes the UFC would protect Topuria from fighting Tsarukyan
- Three contenders are now competing for the next lightweight title shot: Tsarukyan, Paddy Pimblett, and Justin Gaethje
Arman Tsarukyan secured a dominant victory at UFC Qatar on Saturday night, but the real fight started the next day on social media. The Armenian lightweight submitted Dan Hooker with an arm-triangle choke in the second round of their main event bout.
Tsarukyan controlled the fight from the opening bell with constant pressure and multiple takedowns. After escaping a guillotine attempt in the second round, he landed a sharp elbow and transitioned to a dominant position. The finish came moments later when he locked in the submission that forced Hooker to tap.
After his victory, Tsarukyan called out lightweight champion Ilia Topuria in his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping. He said everyone was running from him, especially Topuria. He told the UFC to send him the contract for a fight in late January.
The Social Media Response
Topuria responded the following day with a pointed message on X directed at Tsarukyan. The Georgian-Spanish fighter wrote that Tsarukyan freezes up like a scared duck whenever they meet in person. He referenced a backstage incident where he claimed to have slapped Tsarukyan, who just laughed in response.
Topuria’s message was direct and dismissive. He said he fights whoever the UFC chooses and called Tsarukyan several levels below him. The post included a clip showing him touching Tsarukyan’s face backstage.
Tsarukyan fired back quickly with his own response on X. He disputed Topuria’s characterization of the backstage incident. The 29-year-old said Topuria only touched his neck like they were taking a family photo, not delivering an actual slap.
He called out Topuria’s insecurity and said his real work happens inside the cage, not on social media. Tsarukyan ended his message by challenging Topuria to learn what a real slap feels like and called him “El Pato,” Spanish for duck.
Title Shot Competition
The Hooker fight was positioned as a title eliminator, making Tsarukyan technically next in line for a title shot. However, he faces competition from two other contenders. Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje are also in the running for the next lightweight title opportunity.
Former bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley shared his thoughts on the situation during a video posted to X. He said Arman is no joke and represents an interesting matchup with Topuria. O’Malley predicted the UFC would not make the fight happen.
O’Malley believes the promotion loves Topuria as champion and doesn’t want Tsarukyan to win the belt. He said Tsarukyan has a legitimate chance to beat Topuria and might be the best fighter to challenge him at 155 pounds. However, O’Malley also noted that Topuria has faced tough competition including Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira.
Gaethje has threatened to retire if he doesn’t receive the title shot. Pimblett continues to promote his long-standing rivalry with Topuria as the perfect reason for their matchup. The UFC has not announced who will get the next title opportunity.
Tsarukyan’s Confidence
At the UFC Qatar post-fight press conference, Tsarukyan explained his strategy for fighting Topuria. He believes he can strike with the champion at long distance. When Topuria tries to close the distance and throw hard punches, Tsarukyan plans to take him down.
Tsarukyan said he believes in himself and knows he can beat Topuria easily. Both fighters stand at 5’7″ tall, but Tsarukyan holds a 3.5-inch reach advantage. He thinks he can use that distance to land precise jabs and elbows against Topuria’s close-range striking style.
Khamzat Chimaev, who cornered Tsarukyan at UFC Qatar, addressed the tension between the two fighters before the event. He said if something happened backstage, he would let them go one on one. Chimaev said this type of conflict creates excitement and promotes fights.
Topuria is expected to fight in January on the UFC’s first card with Paramount. With November ending, an announcement about his opponent should come soon. Two of the three contenders will be left waiting for another opportunity.
