Dan Hooker is already looking ahead to his next fight after suffering a second-round submission defeat at UFC Qatar.
“The Hangman” was dominated before being finished by Arman Tsarukyan via arm-triangle choke. While Tsarukyan immediately set his sights on Ilia Topuria, Hooker turned his attention to a different opponent further down the lightweight rankings.
Speaking after the event, Hooker called out Renato Moicano, who has also endured recent setbacks. Moicano was submitted by Islam Makhachev in a lightweight title fight at UFC 311, before losing a decision to Beneil Dariush at UFC 317.
Hooker humorously downplayed both fighters’ recent form when discussing the potential matchup.
“It’s a good fight. We both got cooked,” he said. “Islam handled him, Arman handled me. We can have a cook-off.”
He added that it would be a battle between two fighters looking to bounce back, jokingly framing it as a clash between two men trying to prove themselves after tough losses.
After suffering his 13th career defeat, the 35-year-old admitted that winning a UFC title is likely no longer realistic. However, he revealed a new goal for the remainder of his career.
He said he plans to continue fighting for as long as possible and take satisfaction in upsetting other fighters’ ambitions, adding that if he can’t reach the top himself, he wants to make life difficult for those who are trying to.
