This past Saturday in the main event of UFC Qatar, we saw a big time matchup in the lightweight division. Top contender Arman Tsarukyan (23-3) was trying to defend his spot at the top of the rankings as he took on “The Hangman” Dan Hooker (24-13).
Hooker had really seen his career turn around over his last three fights. Back in 2020, Hooker was up two rounds in a five round fight against Dustin Poirier. Had he won that fight, Hooker would’ve fought for the lightweight title that year.
Instead, Hooker lost the final three rounds of that fight and that loss started a stretch where he went 1-4 in five fights. With more questions than answers, Hooker returned to lightweight after a one-fight stint at 145 pounds and he won three straight including a huge win over Mateusz Gamrot.
That led him to UFC Qatar and it felt like he was playing with house money. Nobody expected him to beat Arman Tsarukyan and it felt like all the pressure was on Tsarukyan. If Hooker could pull off another massive upset, he’d likely be in line to fight for the belt.
Unfortunately for him, Tsarukyan fought exactly as he was supposed to fight. Tsarukyan dominated Hooker in their matchup and ultimately submitted The Hangman in the second round.
What’s next after UFC Qatar?
If you ask me, I don’t think that Dan Hooker loses any ground in the lightweight division. He entered the bout ranked sixth one spot ahead of Mateusz Gamrot who he just beat in his last fight. He lost to a contender he was supposed to lose to and with that, I think he stays put at sixth.
He’s already had some back-and-forth with Renato Moicano about their next fight. Moicano is ranked 10th in the lightweight division and he’s coming off a loss against Beneil Dariush. If you ask me, I think it’s a fun matchup for the UFC to make and it makes sense given that both guys are inside the top ten coming off losses.
If that’s not the fight to make, I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing Hooker against someone like Rafael Fiziev next. Either of those fights are a lot of fun.
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