Tsarukyan Submits Hooker, Calls Out Topuria at UFC Qatar

Arman Tsarukyan returned to the UFC octagon with a dominant performance at UFC Qatar on Saturday, submitting Dan Hooker in the second round to solidify his claim as the top contender in the lightweight division. The event took place at the ABHA Arena in Doha, Qatar, marking Tsarukyan's first fight in 19 months following a back injury that forced him to withdraw from a scheduled title bout at UFC 311 in January.

Tsarukyan, a 29-year-old fighter of Armenian-Russian descent, controlled the main event matchup from the outset, using his grappling prowess to neutralize Hooker's striking before securing a rear-naked choke finish at 3:49 of the second round. The victory extended Tsarukyan's winning streak to five and improved his record to 10-1 over his last 11 fights, with his most recent loss dating back to June 2022. UFC officials awarded him a $50,000 performance bonus for the effort, his sixth such honor since joining the promotion.

Immediately after the win, Tsarukyan turned his attention to UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, calling him out during his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping and again at the press conference. "Everybody's running, especially Ilia," Tsarukyan...