Arman Tsarukyan didn’t just heat up UFC Qatar, he detonated it. Before he mauled Dan Hooker in the main event, the lightweight contender sparked controversy at the ceremonial weigh-ins with a sudden headbutt that stunned fans and briefly threatened the matchup itself. It was the kind of moment that could have spiraled into fines, delays, or worse, especially given Tsarukyan’s past run-ins with regulators at UFC 300.

Yet somehow, the situation calmed as quickly as it erupted. Hooker shrugged off the incident. The UFC let the fight proceed. And Tsarukyan stepped into the cage the next night with the same fire he showed on stage, dominating Hooker before choking him out in Round 2. Now, with the dust settling, the Armenian fighter has delivered a surprising message about the man he headbutted, and why he believes ‘The Hangman’ handled the entire moment properly.

Arman Tsarukyan lauds Dan Hooker for not backing out after his headbutt

On The Ariel Helwani Show, in a clip later shared on X, Tsarukyan expressed genuine shock at Hooker’s response. Instead of calling foul, demanding consequences, or using the moment as leverage, the Kiwi fighter brushed off the headbutt entirely.

According to the lightweight contender, “I was surprised how Dan Hooker is a man. He could just say, you know guys, I got hurt, just give me my money, I’m gonna get ready for the next one. That’s why he has the b**s, and I really appreciate it. He’s not like a p— and he’s a real deal, you know? And he said, I like it what Arman did. I was super happy that he stayed like a man.”

That praise wasn’t empty as Dan Hooker’s words after weigh-ins matched the sentiment exactly. When asked about the clash, he shrugged it off with, “You can’t expect to say nasty things and get in people’s faces and not expect anything to come firing back… There’s no harm, no foul.” As such, ‘The Hangman’ didn’t just downplay the headbutt, he effectively removed Tsarukyan’s biggest risk. No injury claim. No protest. No push for punishment. In one statement, he closed the door on any disciplinary action the UFC might have considered.

After all, Arman Tsarukyan has a history with moments like these. In 2024, he was suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for punching a fan during a walkout at UFC 300. This time, his fuse lit the moment Hooker feinted at him during the ceremonial weigh-ins.

“He tried to scare me. No one can scare me,” Tsarukyan said backstage. The reaction, he explained, was automatic. Emotional. Driven by a fighter’s instinct and a building rivalry. Instead, Hooker diffused the bomb before the UFC needed to. His “no harm, no foul” stance didn’t just save the fight, it saved Tsarukyan from potentially derailing the biggest moment of his career.

Arman Tsarukyan went on to maul Hooker inside the cage, winning by second-round submission after an avalanche of elbows and ground-and-pound. That win placed him firmly back in the title conversation. Yet the moment that set the tone was the one that could have cost him everything. As for Dan Hooker, even in defeat, he has maintained his unique perspective on the fight game!

‘The Hangman’ reveals his future plans as he breaks down his loss to Tsarukyan

Instead of sulking, Dan Hooker met the loss with his trademark mix of honesty and humor. Speaking to The Mac Life the morning after UFC Qatar, he didn’t try to dress up the outcome as he confessed, “It is what it is. There’s not much to break down.”

Tsarukyan was a 6–1 favorite, and Hooker acknowledged that reality head-on. He added, “I took a swing at the No. 1 (lightweight contender) in the world. Yeah, he’s good. What do you want me to say? … Swing big, miss big. … It didn’t play out. Now I know what you have to do.”

There was no resentment. No bitterness. Just a fighter being real about the level he faced. At 35, Hooker knows what this loss means for his title hopes. He admitted that his chances of wearing UFC gold may have slipped away with the defeat. But he refuses to accept the “old man division” label, insisting he’s still here to scrap with names who carry the same scars and experience.

That’s why Renato Moicano immediately came to mind as the next target, as he further shared, “I’m prepared to fight down in the rankings. Let’s go. Moicano – I’d love to fight close to home, so Moicano in Sydney. … I think Moicano’s a fun fight. I think we can have some fun, too.”

As such, what could’ve been a full-blown controversy turned into something far more revealing about both men. Arman Tsarukyan showed emotion, and the volatility that has followed him through parts of his career. Hooker, meanwhile, showed restraint, humor, and a willingness to take responsibility for the chaos that comes with high-stakes fighting. Their reactions couldn’t have been more different, yet together they shaped an outcome that avoided fines, suspensions, or last-minute cancellations.