Dan Hooker stays undeterred regardless of coming into as a big underdog in opposition to Arman Tsarukyan within the UFC Qatar principal occasion on November 22, 2025. The matchup represents way over a typical light-weight contest on the ABHA Enviornment in Doha. UFC President Dana White has confirmed this bout will decide who faces Ilia Topuria for the light-weight championship, making it a de facto primary contender struggle with the very best stakes possible.
Dan Hooker Slams Justin Gaethje: Arman Tsarukyan Gets Me to the Champion
Ranked seventh in the UFC lightweight division, Hooker sits comfortably within the higher echelon of the promotion regardless of his combined file. The 35-year-old New Zealand fighter carries a file of 24-12 throughout his combined martial arts profession and has constructed a powerful three-fight profitable streak heading into Qatar. Most not too long ago, he earned a break up resolution victory in opposition to Mateusz Gamrot in August 2024 at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, a bout awarded Struggle of the Evening honors.
The Georgian-Armenian fighter Tsarukyan enters this contest because the heavy favourite. With knowledgeable file of 22-3 and at the moment ranked quantity two at light-weight, Tsarukyan has compiled 4 straight victories contained in the UFC. His most up-to-date bout got here in opposition to veteran Charles Oliveira in April 2024 at UFC 300.
The narrative Hooker has crafted focuses on the perceived strain Tsarukyan carries into this contest. Talking to Sky Sports activities in regards to the psychological fringe of being an enormous underdog, Hooker expressed real enthusiasm about going through a fighter the MMA world considers considerably extra proficient.
“This struggle excites me as a result of they really feel like Arman is lots higher than I’m. It’s like something good that I do, Arman goes to look extra like an fool. He was presupposed to be this tremendous freak athlete, title contender, the man to beat Ilia Topuria — they’re hiding the champion from him. And now he’s shedding to Dan Hooker, the bloke from New Zealand who’s misplaced a 3rd of his fights.”
Tsarukyan bears the burden of elevated expectations after months away from competitors and a failed bid on the championship. A loss to Hooker would signify a big setback for the quantity two ranked contender, whereas Hooker’s victory would cement one of many largest upsets in latest light-weight division historical past.
The dialogue of title implications extends past Tsarukyan’s future. Hooker has been vocal about why this specific struggle holds extra worth than various alternatives within the light-weight title image. Throughout his interview, Hooker distinguished between preventing Tsarukyan and going through Justin Gaethje, who holds a place alongside Paddy Pimblett as a possible challenger to Topuria.
“Justin Gaethje just isn’t that man. Justin Gaethje doesn’t get me to that man [champion]; he simply will get me a headache. Arman Tsarukyan is the trail to the title — that’s the trail to being the champ, that’s the trail to being one of the best man.”
Ilia Topuria grew to become the tenth dual-division champion in UFC historical past when he knocked out Charles Oliveira within the opening spherical at UFC 317 in June 2025. The 28-year-old Georgian has maintained an undefeated file of 17-0 throughout his skilled profession and at the moment ranks as primary on the UFC pound-for-pound listing as of July 2025. His light-weight championship protection stays unannounced, although hypothesis suggests January 2025 might even see him face Gaethje or probably Pimblett relying on negotiations with the UFC.
The event marks the UFC’s inaugural outing in Qatar and represents the primary Struggle Evening card within the area following the promotion’s announcement of a deal in July 2025. Hooker enters the bout on robust type regardless of his function because the underdog. His three consecutive victories reveal he stays able to competing with the elite of the light-weight division. Nonetheless, Tsarukyan represents the very best degree of opposition Hooker can have confronted in latest reminiscence.
For Hooker, November 22 represents a career-defining alternative. Victory wouldn’t solely safe a title shot in opposition to Topuria however would validate his assertion that fights in opposition to elite competitors excite him greater than safer matchups decrease within the rankings. For Tsarukyan, the competition features as a obligatory step to rehabilitate his candidacy for the championship after the injury-induced hiatus derailed his momentum. The stakes for each opponents couldn’t be larger.
