Dan Hooker has addressed his submission loss to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC Qatar this past Saturday.
Hooker and Tsarukyan shared the Octagon inside the Ali Bin Hamad al-Attiyah Arena. The lightweight bout headlined UFC Qatar. In the second round, Tsarukyan sunk in an arm-triangle choke to force the tap.
Hooker spoke to The Mac Life following his defeat, and he took the setback in stride (via MMAJunkie).
“It is what it is. There’s not much to break down,” Hooker said. “I took a swing at the No. 1 (lightweight contender) in the world. Yeah, he’s good. What do you want me to say? … Swing big, miss big. … It didn’t play out. Now I know what you have to do.”
Hooker already has a potential opponent in mind sometime in 2026.
“I’m not going to hold up the division,” Hooker said. “I’m prepared to fight down in the rankings. Let’s go. [Renato] Moicano – I’d love to fight close to home, so Moicano in Sydney. … I think Moicano’s a fun fight. I think we can have some fun, too.”
Moicano is trying to get back in the win column, as he’s gone winless in 2025. He stepped up at the last minute to challenge Islam Makhachev for the UFC Lightweight Championship in a losing effort back in January. He attempted to get back on the horse, but he was defeated by Beneil Dariush back in June via unanimous decision.
As for Hooker, his defeat to Tsarukyan snaps his three-fight winning streak. “The Hangman” hadn’t suffered a loss since March 2022.
Whether or not the UFC brass grants Hooker’s request to meet Moicano at some point next year remains to be seen. At the moment, Moicano doesn’t have a fight booked and with Hooker free barring any medical issue, it could leave the door open for the matchmakers to pull it off.