Dan Hooker addressed the statement by UFC President Dana White about Arman Tsarukyan
The UFC President had noted that Arman must “work hard” to get a new opportunity to fight for the title/belt, and that the athlete’s ranking position was not important to him.
Hooker was asked what he thought about this. He responded humorously:
“This is part of the game. It feels like Ilia is waiting for something, although this fight would be logical. But the reality is that no one particularly wants to step up against Arman, and I know the reason well.”
Recall that Arman Tsarukyan and Dan Hooker fought on November 22 in the main event of UFC Fight Night 265 held in Doha, where Arman won in the second round via a submission (choke).
At the same time, it has become known that Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett will fight for the interim belt at the beginning of 2026, although the main contender in this weight class is none other than Arman Tsarukyan, who represents Armenia.