Sitting on the sidelines, recovering from having busted his paw earlier in the year, Dan Hooker surveyed the landscape of the UFC lightweight division and did a little matchmaking, trying to figure out how things would line up in the wake of Ilia Topuria ascending to the throne in June. Studying things from his home in Auckland, “The Hangman” concluded that he was pretty much the only Top 10 talent that would be willing to step up and face No. 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan, so he made it his mission to secure the matchup.
“I chased down the fight,” he told the UFC digital team this week in Qatar, where he’ll face Tsarukyan in the main event of the promotion’s inaugural event at ABHA Arena on Saturday.