Things have been heating up in the build-up to the UFC Qatar fight between Arman Tsarukyan and Dan Hooker. ‘The Hangman’ had been stating all week that he won’t hesitate to swing if he got the chance. Tsarukyan wasn’t pretending otherwise, either. Expectedly, as both stepped onto that stage for their ceremonial weigh-in on Friday, the animosity reached a fever pitch. Tsarukyan head-butted his opponent, later opening up about why he did it.

“He tried to scare me,” he said, as per ESPN. “No one can scare me. I automatically wanted to kick his a**.”

According to ‘Ahalkalakets,’ Hooker feinted at him, and his reflexive reaction was a headbutt that sent UFC staff scrambling. But the true fire started when the Armenian began talking about the fight itself. He doesn’t just want to win; he wants to drag Hooker into deep water. He wants to utilize the whole 25 minutes to obliterate the Kiwi.

“I want to make him so tired and just cut his whole face and don’t finish him too early,” Tsarukyan said. “Now I want to make him so tired and cut his whole face, don’t finish him too early. I want to get his life, hard damage. We’re one-on-one in the cage, no one can help you there.”

It was not trash talk. It was a clear warning. Dan Hooker, for his part, did not flinch.

“Let’s go, I love it,” he told UFC commentator Michael Bisping, before non-chalantly dismissing any animosity toward his upcomin opponent. “Who gives a sh-t. ‘You can’t expect to say nasty things and to get in people’s faces, and not expect anything to come firing back.

The New Zealander has been embracing the craziness all week, and the altercation hasn’t shaken him. If anything, it confirmed what he already knew. Fight Night would be violent. The stakes are now higher than ever. Arman Tsarukyan returns from injury, hoping to reclaim his momentum, while Hooker attempts to derail the division’s top lightweight on the biggest stage of the month.

Both men understand that a win brings them closer to Ilia Topuria. And, after a headbutt that nearly blew up fight week, the only place left for them to settle is inside the cage, where no feint, stare-down, or security can stand in the way. However, it is worth noting that this wasn’t the first time that the Armenian ended up losing his cool.

Arman Tsarukyan faced suspension and a massive fine for a violent altercation

The stare-down was not Arman Tsarukyan’s first outburst. Even with his elite skills and disciplined style, he has had instances when emotion took over, including one that cost him far more than a tense weigh-in ever could. At the UFC 300 in April last year, during his walkout for the Charles Oliveira bout, a fan shouted something that pushed Tsarukyan over the edge.

‘Ahalkalakets’ threw a right hand at the fan and was instantly punished. The Nevada State Athletic Commission withdrew 20% of his fight payout and eventually imposed a nine-month suspension and $25,000 fine.

Even though the fan later apologized, the incident showed exactly what resurfaced at the Hooker weigh-ins, when Tsarukyan is provoked, things can escalate really fast. What are your thoughts on the weigh-in?

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