November 21, 2025 • 8 mins
Dan Hooker returns to the Octagon for the first time in over a year.
He’s facing the much-favoured Arman Tsarukyan for a shot at a world title fight.
UFC on Sky host Ravinder Hunia told Piney that Hooker is absolutely the underdog, but that’s nothing new for Kiwi fighters.
Hunia says he’s the underdog for good reasons, as Tsarukyan is on a seven fight win streak, three of them grappling competitions, but Hooker loves to come in and disappoint these wrestlers.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from news Dog ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Speaking of Dan Hooker. As mentioned, he'll meet Armenian Arman
Serukian in the five round main event of the UFC's
first card in Kata tomorrow morning, New Zealand time. Dan
Hooker goes into the bout ranked number six in the division,
while Serukian is the number one contender. Host of UFC
(00:32):
on sky Sport, Ravenda Hernia is with us rev Thanks
for taking the time. It feels like Dan hook is
an underdog for this fight. How big an underdog is he?
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Oh, he's an absolute underdog, Jason, But nothing new though,
we're how cill we boys? Really? In general, he's an underdog,
you know, I think for good reasons, considering just as
you said, Armam Serukian the number one contender, you get
through Arman Serukian and you got a shot at the title.
So very much so, arm I'm Serukian. I think he's
(01:03):
on a seven fight wind streak, three of them and
grappling competitions, and yeah, he's been, you know, running red
hot for a little while. Dan Hooker though, three fight
win streak himself and he has been you know, slowly
working his way back up the division. So yeah, Arma
Seruki Serukian the favored fighter here. But as we know,
(01:23):
Dan loves to come in and disappoint these wrestlers.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Absolutely he does. Now does he also typically raise his
performance against higher ranked opponents, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
He does. I mean that's just Dan as an athlete.
I feel, you know, when we saw that fight against
Matteus Gamrot in Perth in August last year, he definitely
did that. He was a heavy underdog for that fight
as well, especially considering Gamrock was a heavy wrestler. But
he really does, you know, step it up. And I
don't think it's just you know, the technical sense, you know,
by what he brings in terms of his fighting ability, psychology, psychologically,
(02:00):
Dan Hooker, I always say, how do I say this nicely?
It's like kind of like that little bit of a
psychofactor where he is his biggest fan, he is his
biggest supporter, and he you know, truly believes in himself
to be able to get the job done. So I've
always admired his mental strength coming into fights, and I
feel like after eleven years in the UFC, that's really
(02:21):
been built. He knows what he needs to do. He's one,
you know, gifted athlete that can carry out a game
plan no matter what style is coming at him. So
I feel like, you know, that experience really is his
strength and gives him that confidence in any fight. Now.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
So Dan Hooker hasn't fought for more than a year
due to injury. Will that be in any way of
factor here?
Speaker 3 (02:42):
You know what? Most probably you know, you have to
be honest about that. But Dan just lives for competition.
He's you know, kept himself busy of that year and
a half, him and his wife welcomed a new baby.
He started his own promotion that a lot of people
are talking about, you know, on the side as well,
but as well, he has been working super super hard
(03:04):
in the gym. That part has never stopped. Then with
his arm and a cast, he was still training, you know,
He's still throwing kicks, still working on his conditioning, knowing
that a big fight was imminent for him after that
win against Gamrock. So he's never stopped. The only thing
that did stop was you know, competing in the octagon.
Of course, earlier this year he was supposed to fight
(03:26):
justin Gaechee. That wasn't to be because he reinjured himself.
So he has always been around in the gym working,
and you know, he's not just in the gym, you know,
you know, just casually he's he's training and fighting as
a UFC fighter, So he has been active. But yeah,
that might that might play a part because he's been
out for a little while, but so too has Arman Serukian.
(03:47):
He's been out for a little while as well. Hasn't
been in the UFC octagon for a while as well,
So it'll be interesting to see what these two bring
with a long time.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Off tell us about On Serukian, the type of fighter
he is, and what he brings to the octagon in
terms of his specific strengths.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Yeah, arm On Serukian is just that well rounded fighter.
I don't feel like he's a master of anything because
he's you know, pretty good at, you know, being a
complete MMO fighter. He started his career twenty eighteen and
on debut faced Isla Makachev, losing that fight ya unanimous decision.
So he came into the lightweight division making an absolute
(04:23):
splash despite not getting that decision, but taking Islam all
the way to the end of those rounds. But Yeah,
very well rounded fighter. He's quite elusive as well. He's
you know, dangerous on the ground. He knows what he's
doing with the wrestling. We see over in Kata at
the moment, he's walking around with Hamzat Chimaye, who's the
current middleweight champion. We see Ilia Supiria walking around as well,
(04:43):
So he's surrounded by really great, technical, strong, you know,
fighting champions at the moment. So he'll be coming in
knowing that this is his big opportunity after missing out
on a title shot earlier this year, so his you know,
mental fortitude will be up there as well. But yeah,
very well rounded fighter. And I'm just interested to see
how City Kickboxing as a team look to combat that.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
How do you think they will because excuse me as
you say, Serukian very good wrestler, good grappler. I think
Dan Hooker's strength is probably his striking. So what normally
happens when two fighters like that collide.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Well, Dan Hooker, you know, he has his strength as well,
and he made mention of that when I spoke to
him this week, talking about how he was really surprised
at how short Armand's arms were, which is you know,
every fight starts on the feet in that striking position,
so Dan knows that he well and truly has that
reach advantage. Dan Hooker doesn't really keep to that range
(05:41):
typically during a fight, though traditionally he does like to
fight in the pocket. He does like to fight throw
uppercuts and hooks to really damage those fighters. But I
think he knows he knows that up against the cage
and Seruki is going to be dangerous. He knows, you know, defensively,
what he will need to do if Arman is successful
in getting him to the ground, as he showed against Gamrock.
(06:03):
But Dan Hooker is very, very elusive on the ground
as well. We saw those scrambles against Gamrot. But I
think that if he does keep it at that range
and keeps Arman on the outside, considering that strength, that
he will have success there. And Dan has like a
strength that you know, no one really realizes until you're
there standing in front of him and copying that. We
(06:24):
saw that with Jaylen Turner in the successful fight there,
So it would be interesting. And we're also mentioned on
the show this week that Dan Hooker was awarded a
black belt and Brazilian jiu jitsu, so he's been working.
You know, he has his wrestling grappling pedigree as well,
So yeah, I feel that Dan Honingen on his own strength,
which he is really good at, could make for a
(06:46):
great upset.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
All right, And whoever wins, what's the reward? Rev? Who
does the winner get to fight next? Is it a
title shot?
Speaker 3 (06:54):
It's a title shot. Dana White has said that the
winner of this fight will go for the title shot
because obviously Arman Seruki and he is at number one.
You beat number one, you get a title shot. Or
if you are number one and you've been told that
the next fight is the top, you get that title shot.
The current champion is Ilia Tapuria. He is also running
red hot right now. But Dan Hooker, through his you know,
(07:15):
eleven years of fighting in the USC, has always spoken
about fighting for about He's never spoken about holding the title.
He just wants to fight the best. So after beating
Armann this weekend, who is the best at the moment
by way of the rankings, he gets to fight for
that title shot. So hopefully a golden year for New
(07:35):
Zealand and the lightweight division in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Absolutely the stakes so high. Thanks so much for providing
such great insight. Revender always great to catch up.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
You're very welcome. Thank you, no, thank you.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
That is our host of UFC on Sky Sport Rovenda
Hernie sa UFC Fight Night main card, Dan Hooker against
the Armenian Arman Serukian seven o'clock tomorrow morning. You can
catch it on ESPN and also on Sky Sport Now.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk ZEDB weekends from midday, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from news Dog ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Speaking of Dan Hooker. As mentioned, he'll meet Armenian Arman
Serukian in the five round main event of the UFC's
first card in Kata tomorrow morning, New Zealand time. Dan
Hooker goes into the bout ranked number six in the division,
while Serukian is the number one contender. Host of UFC
(00:32):
on sky Sport, Ravenda Hernia is with us rev Thanks
for taking the time. It feels like Dan hook is
an underdog for this fight. How big an underdog is he?
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Oh, he's an absolute underdog, Jason, But nothing new though,
we're how cill we boys? Really? In general, he's an underdog,
you know, I think for good reasons, considering just as
you said, Armam Serukian the number one contender, you get
through Arman Serukian and you got a shot at the title.
So very much so, arm I'm Serukian. I think he's
(01:03):
on a seven fight wind streak, three of them and
grappling competitions, and yeah, he's been, you know, running red
hot for a little while. Dan Hooker though, three fight
win streak himself and he has been you know, slowly
working his way back up the division. So yeah, Arma
Seruki Serukian the favored fighter here. But as we know,
(01:23):
Dan loves to come in and disappoint these wrestlers.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
Absolutely he does. Now does he also typically raise his
performance against higher ranked opponents, Yeah.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
He does. I mean that's just Dan as an athlete.
I feel, you know, when we saw that fight against
Matteus Gamrot in Perth in August last year, he definitely
did that. He was a heavy underdog for that fight
as well, especially considering Gamrock was a heavy wrestler. But
he really does, you know, step it up. And I
don't think it's just you know, the technical sense, you know,
by what he brings in terms of his fighting ability, psychology, psychologically,
(02:00):
Dan Hooker, I always say, how do I say this nicely?
It's like kind of like that little bit of a
psychofactor where he is his biggest fan, he is his
biggest supporter, and he you know, truly believes in himself
to be able to get the job done. So I've
always admired his mental strength coming into fights, and I
feel like after eleven years in the UFC, that's really
(02:21):
been built. He knows what he needs to do. He's one,
you know, gifted athlete that can carry out a game
plan no matter what style is coming at him. So
I feel like, you know, that experience really is his
strength and gives him that confidence in any fight. Now.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
So Dan Hooker hasn't fought for more than a year
due to injury. Will that be in any way of
factor here?
Speaker 3 (02:42):
You know what? Most probably you know, you have to
be honest about that. But Dan just lives for competition.
He's you know, kept himself busy of that year and
a half, him and his wife welcomed a new baby.
He started his own promotion that a lot of people
are talking about, you know, on the side as well,
but as well, he has been working super super hard
(03:04):
in the gym. That part has never stopped. Then with
his arm and a cast, he was still training, you know,
He's still throwing kicks, still working on his conditioning, knowing
that a big fight was imminent for him after that
win against Gamrock. So he's never stopped. The only thing
that did stop was you know, competing in the octagon.
Of course, earlier this year he was supposed to fight
(03:26):
justin Gaechee. That wasn't to be because he reinjured himself.
So he has always been around in the gym working,
and you know, he's not just in the gym, you know,
you know, just casually he's he's training and fighting as
a UFC fighter, So he has been active. But yeah,
that might that might play a part because he's been
out for a little while, but so too has Arman Serukian.
(03:47):
He's been out for a little while as well. Hasn't
been in the UFC octagon for a while as well,
So it'll be interesting to see what these two bring
with a long time.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
Off tell us about On Serukian, the type of fighter
he is, and what he brings to the octagon in
terms of his specific strengths.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Yeah, arm On Serukian is just that well rounded fighter.
I don't feel like he's a master of anything because
he's you know, pretty good at, you know, being a
complete MMO fighter. He started his career twenty eighteen and
on debut faced Isla Makachev, losing that fight ya unanimous decision.
So he came into the lightweight division making an absolute
(04:23):
splash despite not getting that decision, but taking Islam all
the way to the end of those rounds. But Yeah,
very well rounded fighter. He's quite elusive as well. He's
you know, dangerous on the ground. He knows what he's
doing with the wrestling. We see over in Kata at
the moment, he's walking around with Hamzat Chimaye, who's the
current middleweight champion. We see Ilia Supiria walking around as well,
(04:43):
So he's surrounded by really great, technical, strong, you know,
fighting champions at the moment. So he'll be coming in
knowing that this is his big opportunity after missing out
on a title shot earlier this year, so his you know,
mental fortitude will be up there as well. But yeah,
very well rounded fighter. And I'm just interested to see
how City Kickboxing as a team look to combat that.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
How do you think they will because excuse me as
you say, Serukian very good wrestler, good grappler. I think
Dan Hooker's strength is probably his striking. So what normally
happens when two fighters like that collide.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Well, Dan Hooker, you know, he has his strength as well,
and he made mention of that when I spoke to
him this week, talking about how he was really surprised
at how short Armand's arms were, which is you know,
every fight starts on the feet in that striking position,
so Dan knows that he well and truly has that
reach advantage. Dan Hooker doesn't really keep to that range
(05:41):
typically during a fight, though traditionally he does like to
fight in the pocket. He does like to fight throw
uppercuts and hooks to really damage those fighters. But I
think he knows he knows that up against the cage
and Seruki is going to be dangerous. He knows, you know, defensively,
what he will need to do if Arman is successful
in getting him to the ground, as he showed against Gamrock.
(06:03):
But Dan Hooker is very, very elusive on the ground
as well. We saw those scrambles against Gamrot. But I
think that if he does keep it at that range
and keeps Arman on the outside, considering that strength, that
he will have success there. And Dan has like a
strength that you know, no one really realizes until you're
there standing in front of him and copying that. We
(06:24):
saw that with Jaylen Turner in the successful fight there,
So it would be interesting. And we're also mentioned on
the show this week that Dan Hooker was awarded a
black belt and Brazilian jiu jitsu, so he's been working.
You know, he has his wrestling grappling pedigree as well,
So yeah, I feel that Dan Honingen on his own strength,
which he is really good at, could make for a
(06:46):
great upset.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
All right, And whoever wins, what's the reward? Rev? Who
does the winner get to fight next? Is it a
title shot?
Speaker 3 (06:54):
It's a title shot. Dana White has said that the
winner of this fight will go for the title shot
because obviously Arman Seruki and he is at number one.
You beat number one, you get a title shot. Or
if you are number one and you've been told that
the next fight is the top, you get that title shot.
The current champion is Ilia Tapuria. He is also running
red hot right now. But Dan Hooker, through his you know,
(07:15):
eleven years of fighting in the USC, has always spoken
about fighting for about He's never spoken about holding the title.
He just wants to fight the best. So after beating
Armann this weekend, who is the best at the moment
by way of the rankings, he gets to fight for
that title shot. So hopefully a golden year for New
(07:35):
Zealand and the lightweight division in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Absolutely the stakes so high. Thanks so much for providing
such great insight. Revender always great to catch up.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
You're very welcome. Thank you, no, thank you.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
That is our host of UFC on Sky Sport Rovenda
Hernie sa UFC Fight Night main card, Dan Hooker against
the Armenian Arman Serukian seven o'clock tomorrow morning. You can
catch it on ESPN and also on Sky Sport Now.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk ZEDB weekends from midday, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio
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