Two wins later, Tsarukyan earned another headlining slot, facing the perennially ranked Beneil Dariush in Austin, Texas. Learning his lesson, Tsarukyan left the judges out of it and scored a knockout 64 seconds into the bout to announce himself as a legitimate title contender. He stamped that claim at UFC 300 when he battled former champion Charles Oliveira to a split decision win, essentially earning a shot at the lightweight title.
UFC QATAR FULL FIGHTS: Tsarukyan vs Oliveira | Hooker vs Gamrot | Muhammad vs Brady | Machado Garry vs Prates
However, when he was slotted to rematch Makhachev at UFC 311, Tsarukyan was forced to pull out of the matchup at the last minute. That put the 29-year-old in the doghouse, but he did what he could to make up for it, successfully weighing in as the backup fighter at UFC 317.
Dan Hooker
An all-action fan-favorite, “The Hangman” has captivated UFC audiences for more than a decade. After a bumpy start to his Octagon tenure, Hooker found a home at lightweight and reeled off four straight finishes. That success put him across from Edson Barboza, who stymied the New Zealander’s momentum temporarily. However, Hooker bounced back to score consecutive wins over James Vick and Al Iaquinta, setting up a main event slot against Paul Felder in Auckland.
Battling for 25 minutes, Hooker edged Felder via split decision in an early candidate for 2020’s Fight of the Year. However, he would do one better when he faced Dustin Poirier in the UFC APEX. Their June 2020 battle remains a signature fight of the COVID-19 era and remains one of the most memorable wars in the last five years, although Hooker was on the wrong end of the scorecards. The Kiwi would hit a rough patch of form following the battle, going 1-3 over the next year-plus, including a first-round loss to Arnold Allen in his short return to 145 pounds.
