Jul 8, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Jalin Turner (red gloves) fights Dan Hooker (blue gloves) during UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

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“Voldemort Of The Lightweight Division” – Dan Hooker Lays His Cards Out For A Fight With Top Ranked Rival

Never one to back down, Dan Hooker publicly challenges the top ranked opponent who no one else wants to fight!

Jul 8, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Jalin Turner (red gloves) fights Dan Hooker (blue gloves) during UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Dan Hooker has spent years climbing through the ranks and taking fights that other guys wouldn’t touch with a ten foot pole. The New Zealander has built his reputation on being the guy who steps up when everyone else steps back.

But there’s one fighter in the division who’s become something of a boogeyman that nobody wants to face. Arman Tsarukyan sits at the top of the rankings. The Armenian fighter had his shot at gold snatched away when he pulled out of a title fight against Islam Makhachev due to a back injury, and since then he’s been treated like the division’s version of Voldemort. Nobody wants to say his name, let alone fight him, because they know what kind of damage he can do to their title hopes!

Dan Hooker Steps Up When Others Step Back

While the rest of the UFC lightweight elite have been making excuses and looking the other way, Hooker has been doing the opposite. Talking to Submission Radio, he’s actively calling for the Tsarukyan fight, and his reasoning shows exactly why he’s different from most fighters in the sport. Instead of avoiding the dangerous matchup, he’s embracing it because he knows it’s the only way to get back into title contention. The heated rivalry between these two has been simmering for months, with both fighters taking shots at each other through interviews and social media.

“I’m the only one that is going to fight you dumb f**k. He [Arman] is the Voldemort of the lightweightt division. No one wants to call this guy out.”

Hooker recently broke down the entire division’s landscape and came to a simple conclusion. Islam Makhachev is moving up to welterweight, Ilia Topuria will probably face Justin Gaethje for the title, and that leaves Tsarukyan in a weird spot where nobody wants to deal with him. The top contenders like Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira might fight each other, which means Hooker sees an opening that nobody else wants to take.

What makes Hooker’s approach even more interesting is his twisted logic about fighting tough opponents versus easier ones. He openly admits that when he thinks he can beat someone easily, his performance suffers because his mind relaxes. But when he faces someone who could genuinely beat him, he performs at his best because the danger forces him to stay sharp. It’s backwards thinking that most fighters would never admit to, but it explains why Hooker has always been willing to take the hardest fights available!

(Image Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie – Imagn Images)

Arman Tsarukyan

Dan Hooker

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!