The UFC 313 headliner losing one of its fighters due to an injury has stirred up drama—as if it wasn’t dramatic enough that we lost the chance to witness supreme chaos in the Octagon. While Justin Gaethje is keeping his hopes high for a replacement, his previously-scheduled opponent Dan Hooker has been feuding with the #1-ranked lightweight Arman Tsarukyan. And boy did it get personal. Let’s start from the beginning.

‘Akhalkalakets’, 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. On Submission Radio, Hooker alluded to 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?” Now getting personal and going after family is not something new for UFC fighters. Just ask Conor McGregor or Colby Covington. But compared to McGregor or Covington’s vitriolic jibes, Hooker’s was far tamer in comparison.

But a personal jibe is a personal jibe, regardless of the level and karma seems to have reared its head in this case. With ‘The Hangman’ being forced out of the UFC 313 co-main event against Justin Gaethje because of a broken hand, Arman 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 knowing Dan Hooker and his cheeky attitude, you’d be surprised if he didn’t have a comeback. Even with a broken hand, his remark was scathing enough to break Tsarukyan’s composure. As per Championship Rounds, Hooker wrote, “ If only your dad pulled out quicker than your last fight. Glass hand haha glass house.”

‘Akhalkalakets’ is from a very influential and uber-rich family in Armenia and after Tsarukyan’s withdrawal from UFC 311, Hooker took a shot at the #1-ranked fighter’s privilege. But this isn’t the first time Dan Hooker has spoken about Arman Tsarukyan. You can tell by the jibes he’s thrown at Tsarukyan, that Hooker is looking for a fight with him. So what did ‘The Hangman’ previously say about facing the Armenian mixed martial artist? Let’s find out.

Dan Hooker has had Arman Tsarukyan in his crosshairs for a while now

“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, denoting his hands were breakable as glass.

But 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. And so, he expressed an interest in facing Arman Tsarukyan next. 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 both fighters have now pulled out of their first promotional appearances of 2025. Hooker is very close to the top 10. And Dana White doesn’t want to grant Tsarukyan another title shot unless he works his way back. So could this be the answer? Will beating Dan Hooker be enough for him to gain the UFC head honcho’s favor for a title shot? Do share what you think in the comments below.