Tsarukyan withdrew from the main event of UFC 311, where he was due to challenge Islam Makhachev for the undisputed lightweight title, on just one day’s notice.
It left the UFC with a quick decision to make, and Brazil’s Renato Moicano was handed the opportunity to step up and challenge for the gold. However, his title challenge lasted less than a round as he was submitted by Makhahev after four minutes, five seconds of the opening stanza.
Hooker appeared on Submission Radio and gave his view on Tsarukyan’s withdrawal, as he revealed that he was less than impressed with how it all played out.
“How are you getting injured on your day off? I’ve got no idea,” he said.
“I thought it was pretty strange, bro. To get such a severe injuury that you need to pull out when you’re cutting weight, you know? I don’t know how you would pass up on that opportunity.”
Hooker also said that Tsarukyan will likely fall down the lightweight pecking order as a result of his pull-out, with the UFC already stating he’ll have to build himself back up, plus the added factor of his fellow lightweights being less likely to accept a fight with someone who could withdraw from the fight on the eve of the contest.
“I obviously saw Dana White just say that he ain’t getting the title shot next and he’s going to have to work his way back up to the belt,” he said.
“You know, daddy can’t buy you a backbone, can he?
“I’d say it’d be pretty hard to get someone to sign on the dotted line against Arman if he’s going to do that.
“And I don’t think that the UFC would even kind of penalize anyone for kind of passing that off.
“You put in all that work – at our level, it’s not cheap to run a training camp, it’s not cheap to fly your whole team out to prepare for a fight just to have the rug pulled out from you at that short of notice.
“I think it’d be pretty hard to get anyone to agree to fight him. I think he might just have to move his way down the list.”
https://youtu.be/s6fKlA7S_YY
