Tsarukyan headbutt fires up UFC Qatar main event with Hooker

Fight week hostility boiled implicit successful Doha erstwhile Arman Tsarukyan drove his forehead into Dan Hooker’s look during Friday’s ceremonial weigh-in. The UFC lightweight headliners squared up for the last clip earlier UFC Fight Night 265, and Tsarukyan abruptly leaned successful with a crisp headbutt. Hooker, who hardly flinched, grinned and played to the crowd.

"Let's go, I emotion it," Hooker told UFC commentator Michael Bisping.

The infinitesimal instantly shifted the code of the UFC’s debut paper successful Qatar. Weigh-in scuffles person go uncommon successful the promotion, yet Tsarukyan already carries a estimation for flashpoints. In 2024 helium was fined and suspended aft punching a instrumentality during his walkout astatine UFC 300 successful Las Vegas. Any punishment for this latest outburst would person to travel straight from the UFC, which is self-regulating the lawsuit successful Qatar.

Tsarukyan, 22-3, is ranked No. 1 astatine lightweight and is trying to cement different changeable astatine golden aft a cancelled rubric combat against Islam Makhachev earlier this year, erstwhile backmost spasms forced him retired the time before. Hooker, 24-12 and sitting astatine No. 6, embraces the relation of underdog and seems to relish the chaos.

Clash of styles promises unit successful Doha

In the cage, helium volition look a relentless wrestler with a heavy state tank. Tsarukyan pushes a precocious pace, chains takedowns unneurotic and mixes successful kicks and combinations truthful opponents cannot settee connected his rhythm. When helium gets to the mat, helium rides well, scrambles perpetually and chips distant with crushed strikes.

Hooker brings a precise antithetic look. Taller and longer, helium works down a engaged jab, uses feints to acceptable up crosses and caput kicks, and is unsafe with knees and elbows astatine mid-range. His antiaircraft lapses support exchanges risky, nevertheless his improved wrestling and front-choke threats mean Tsarukyan cannot sprout recklessly.

Oddsmakers person installed Tsarukyan arsenic a dense favourite astir -600, with Hooker astatine +420. Many analysts inactive thin toward the Armenian to resistance the combat to the canvas and decorativeness with strikes earlier the midway point, adjacent portion they pass that Hooker remains a unrecorded menace to outpouring an upset if helium times 1 cleanable genu oregon near hook.