Sitting out for extended periods can derail a fighter’s momentum completely. The sport moves fast with new contenders emerging every month. Rankings shuffle constantly as underdogs pull off upsets regularly. Missing time means missing opportunities to stake your claim. Some fighters never recover from long layoffs between important bouts. Arman Tsarukyan faced exactly that challenge heading into UFC Qatar. <\/p>
The Armenian contender hadn’t fought since defeating Charles Oliveira at UFC 300. That victory happened way back in April last year. 1 year 7 months of inactivity creates serious rust for elite-level competition. Questions lingered about whether he had maintained his sharpness during the break. But he showcased why he is the #1 contender at UFC Qatar. <\/p>
Tsarukyan looked absolutely phenomenal against Hooker from the opening bell. He mixed clean strikes with a relentless pace immediately. The New Zealander tried testing him early but found no success. A failed takedown attempt actually worked in Tsarukyan’s favor surprisingly. Hooker moved to escape and Arman caught him with a rising knee. The shot rocked the City Kickboxing fighter badly. Hooker jumped on a guillotine choke attempt in round one desperately. But Tsarukyan slipped out easily and took top control position.<\/p>