Overview
- Tsarukyan faces Hooker in a scheduled five-round headliner on Nov. 22 at Ali Bin Hamad al-Attiyah Arena in the UFC’s Doha debut, with the card streaming on ESPN+.
- He dismissed Hooker’s “spoiled rich kid” insult as non-personal trash talk, saying the remarks only make him laugh.
- Calling the bout “like a title fight,” Tsarukyan argues a decisive win should earn him a lightweight shot and says he would accept a January date if offered.
- A viral training clip showed a spinning kick sending a coach out of the cage; Tsarukyan said the coach sustained a concussion but was fine the next day and they moved sessions to the mats.
- Betting lines and many pro fighters favor Tsarukyan, as he is listed around a -530 favorite on FanDuel, while he praises new welterweight champ Islam Makhachev and questions Ilia Topuria’s matchup choices at lightweight.