Alexander Volkanovski did it once, and it did not end well for him; he’s now been warned against doing it again. We’re talking about ‘The Great’ taking on lightweights in bouts that do nothing for him. It was Islam Makhachev at first, now it’s Arman Tsarukyan. ‘Volk’ went on a downward skid after that fateful short-notice rematch against Islam. So, Dan Hooker does not want to see him risk it for a second time, against Tsarukyan of all people.

The Armenian floated the idea of moving down to featherweight to fight Volkanovski. The Australian champion, who is scheduled to face Diego Lopes in a rematch at UFC 325 on January 31, welcomed the idea. “I love challenges,” he said. “He would obviously be a tough challenge if he could get down there—that would definitely be a tough challenge.” However, Arman’s last opponent doesn’t think the fight makes any sense and warned the Australian. 

Dan Hooker says Alexander Volkanovski has nothing to gain against Tsarukyan

Speaking to Submission Radio, Dan Hooker claimed that even if Alexander Volkanovski beats the Armenian lightweight, he won’t get the credit. “It’s gonna be like Volk beats one of the best fighters in the world and the only thing he gets out of it is, ‘The weight cut f—ed up Arman.’ It’s a bit of nothing to achieve from the fight, I guess,” Hooker said in the interview.

The first fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 284 proves his point. As much as Volkanovski pushed the Dagestani to his limits, there were talks about his rehydration (or lack thereof) affecting his performance. The upside, however, was that Volkanovski stood to gain the lightweight title and become the first ‘champ champ’ since Henry Cejudo in June 2019.

But the idea backfired when he took on Islam on short notice later the same year at UFC 294. He suffered a brutal headkick KO loss in the first round. Volkanovski returned four months later to fight Ilia Topuria at UFC 298 and suffered another KO and lost his title. He has since reclaimed it against Diego Lopes and will defend it against the same man this weekend. Should he entertain Tsarukyan after that?

Hooker is right. This fight does nothing for him, except have him take the risk against a much younger, bigger, explosive, grappling-heavy opponent. Tsarukyan stands to win a title, which will be a huge bargaining chip against Dana White. ‘Volk’ stands to get a meaningless win over a tough opponent, because, as Hooker said, the excuse will be built in for Arman.

Arman Tsarukyan defeated Dan Hooker in their last outing via second-round submission in November. Since then, Tsarukyan has competed in grappling/wrestling events through Real American Freestyle (RAF). He dominated Lance Palmer at RAF 5 recently and has booked another match against Georgio Poullas for RAF 6 on February 28, 2026.

Hooker, on the other hand, is scheduled for a fight against Benoit Saint-Denis on the co-main event of UFC 325. Notably, ‘The Great’ is also expected to choose between Movsar Evloev and Lerone Murphy should he come out victorious against Lopes on Saturday night. For now, though, Arman Tsarukyan has to pray to the UFC gods for a better future. 

And that’s exactly what he appears to be doing. 

Arman Tsarukyan seeks forgiveness from Dana White and UFC

Speaking candidly, the No.1 lightweight contender insisted his withdrawal from the Islam Makhachev fight and other offences caused him to get snubbed. “It was bad—it was so bad,” Tsarukyan told Daniel Cormier. He added, “One day I got to do surgery,” though he hopes to delay it until after winning the belt. 

Aware that incidents like punching a fan and headbutting Hooker damaged his reputation, he openly addressed Dana White and Hunter Campbell. “So, Dana and Hunter, yes, go ahead. Forgive me. Give me a title fight,” he pleaded. Promising maturity moving forward, Tsarukyan added, “I’m not gonna hit anybody anymore. I’m trying to be a good boy.” 

He claimed that while injuries can happen in camp, controversies like punching a fan or headbutting anybody would never happen again.

Whether the UFC ever forgives him is yet to be seen, but Dan Hooker clearly thinks Alexander Volkanovski should stay clear of Arman Tsarukyan. What do you think the future holds for ‘Ahalkalakets?’