Dan Hooker and Arman Tsarukyan are trading barbs and things just got pretty personal between them. The latest feud started when Tsarukyan was forced to withdraw from the UFC 311 main event fight against Islam Makhachev. Hooker had some scathing things to say about the same.
‘Ahalkalakets’, suffered a back injury and was axed the day before UFC 311 due to this and Hooker did not leave the chance to take a jibe at him. Hooker reacted to the case on Submission Radio as he addressed Dana White saying at the UFC 311 post-fight press conference, that Tsarukyan would need to climb his way up to a title shot, and that “daddy can’t buy you a backbone, can he?” So now dads got involved in the trash talk and involving family is never a good idea. We know that from what happened between Sean Strickland and Ian Machado Garry when the former involved Garry’s wife in the trash-talking.
Karma indeed is a harsh thing because guess what? It was revealed that ‘The Hangman’ was forced out of the UFC 313 main event against Justin Gaethje because of a broken hand. Tsarukyan saw the opportunity and grabbed it to return the favor. “Karma doesn’t miss. Big mouth, glass hands – maybe just stick to talking instead of fighting,” Tsarukyan told Hooker on X.
But did that stop Dan Hooker from clapping back? Not at all. Even with a broken hand, his remark was scathing enough to break Tsarukyan’s composure. Hooker wrote, “ If only your dad pulled out quicker than your last fight. Glass hand haha glass house.” All of this was reposted by Championship Rounds recently on their X profile.
Dan Hooker responds to Arman Tsarukyan
“If only your dad pulled out quicker than your last fight.”#UFC313 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/sJ8oO6otMG
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 26, 2025
Tsarukyan is from a very influential and uber-rich family in Armenia and after Tsarukyan’s withdrawal from UFC 311, Hooker took the chance to lash out at his family. However, his jibe fell heavily on his hand because he injured his hand while training and now he is out of his fight.
Arman Tsarukyan and Dan Hooker’s feud goes way back to the past
“I was just sparring last night. Just as I do, I was letting some hooks go… caught one of the boys on the top of the dome with my knuckle,” the 35-year-old Hooker told UFC on Sky. Arman Tsarukyan ‘s jibe came immediately and denoted his hands as breakable as glass.
Meanwhile, this feud is not a recent development between the duo because last year ‘the Hangman’ expressed interest in fighting the Armenian juggernaut. After defeating Mateusz Gamrot, at UFC 305, Hooker was on cloud 9. His confidence made him willing to take on Tsarukyan for the next fight. He was so confident that he even offered to fight the 22-3-0 star for free!
“I was there talking to Hunter. He was like, ‘Who do you want next?’. I said I wanted to smash Arman’s (Tsarukyan) face in. I was like I will smash Arman for free. He is still just too much stuck in the past. I just think he is a whinger. Besides that, I feel like he is the toughest next fight to get a title shot,” Dan Hooker told ‘Submission Radio’.
So maybe these recent jibes are an attempt to get to the fight and matchup soon. On the other hand, Dana White has made it apparent that the no.1 contender will not be getting an instantaneous title shot on return, so could he end up fighting Hooker on his climb to the top? Share what you think in the comments below.
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