Dan Hooker recently issued a humorous warning to Arman Tsarukyan regarding their upcoming clash, suggesting it could turn into a wrestling war.
'The Hangman' is set to face Tsarukyan in the main event at UFC Qatar on Nov. 22. Ahead of the bout, both fighters have been exchanging verbal jabs, with the Armenian fighter noting that he plans to exhaust Hooker using his wrestling skills.
In an interview with Home of Fight, Hooker was asked what type of fight he envisions against Tsarukyan. In response, he said:
"He's good at what he does. He's kind of a fighter that fights fire with fire. If you strike with him, he'll strike. If you wrestle, he'll wrestle. He's capable everywhere. But I'm prepared for both as well. As he says, 'We're going to wrestle and you're going to get tired.' But he forgets the part where if we wrestle, you're gonna get tired as well, brother. Wrestling is not a one-way street."
Check out Dan Hooker's comments below (7:26):
Arman Tsarukyan is currently on a four-fight winning streak and has only lost twice in his UFC career. Apart from his split decision victory over Charles Oliveira at UFC 300, Tsarukyan has achieved convincing and dominant wins against his other opponents.
In the aforementioned interview with Home of Fight, Dan Hooker also shared his thoughts on Tsarukyan as a fighter.
"Regardless of the bad blood, I feel like he is the best fighter in the division, skill for skill. And so, it's like, who do you want to beat? You want to beat the best guy you can possibly get your hands on. So that's why it's such an exciting fight for me, because I feel like he's the best fighter in the division, including the champion." [2:13 seconds into the interview]
As he heads into the UFC Qatar clash against Tsarukyan, Hooker is currently on a three-fight winning streak, with his most recent victory being a split decision over Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305 last year.