It took a while but Dan Hooker has finally found an opponent who will fight him. Given how hard he has been trying to make that happen, it is no wonder that he was not happy to hear Arman Tsarukyan say he was scared to fight.
Hooker found himself in a precarious situation recently, calling out literally anyone and everyone he could, in an attempt to fight on the UFC 266 card. While he finally found an opponent, he was not sure that would happen, after going back and forth with a variety of fighters.
One such fighter was Arman Tsarukyan, who went after Dan and said that the New Zealander was scared to fight him because he is a wrestler. Speaking in a recent interview, Dan fired back at Arman for these comments, saying that the Russian already had a fight booked when he was trying to start something with Dan, which makes no sense.
“Dumbass. (We aren’t fighting) because he’s a dumbass. I argue exclusively for physical confrontation. If you ever see me standing across from someone arguing with them, it’s for one reason and one reason only: for physical confrontation,” Hooker said.
“This dumbass picks an argument with me, we get all the way to the end of the argument, and then I find out a week later that he’s already got a fight. Absolute dumbass… If you’re already booked, why argue? Why try to challenge me when I’m looking for a fight and you already have a fight?
“S—t for brains. The kid’s got s—t for brains,” Hooker added. “He’s a dumbass and he’s got s—t for brains. That’s all I have to say about that. Anyone can put their hand on their heart and tell me that I’m scared of Arman whatever his name is. I’ve never even seen the kid fight before. I would walk right though him. You’re kidding yourself. If he truly believes that, he’s living in a delusion.”
Dan Hooker Doesn’t Care About Rankings
While it was not Arman Tsarukyan, Dan Hooker has finally found an opponent, and is set to take on Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266. While this is not someone who is currently ranked, Dan says he tried to do everything he could to get a ranked opponent, but that he was happy to accept this fight.
Dan explained that he knew that this was his only option for a fight, after everyone else was either booked up, injured, or not answering the UFC’s calls. That said, he knows that even without the number by his name, Nasrat is still just as dangerous as some ranked fighters.
“If I don’t take the fight with Nasrat, I don’t fight. And I’m a fighter. What I want to do is get out there and compete. And to turn down that fight because he’s not in the rankings, that’s silly,” Hooker said
“Rankings are fun, they’re like a fun thing, but they should never be… If that got in the way of me competing because technically he’s not ranked… Like he’s the same caliber of fighter as a lot of other guys in the rankings… Don’t let the silly rankings ruin good fights.”
It is good to hear that Dan Hooker has secured himself a fight after such a struggle getting an opponent. He will be facing Nasrat Haqparast on September 25th, at UFC 266.
