UFC Contender believes Islam Makhachev would rather retire than rematch arman tsarukyan: ‘There’s too much risk’
Dan Hooker believes Islam Makhachev would rather follow in the footsteps of his mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and retire from the sport of MMA before being matched up with rising contender Arman Tsarukyan.
Since capturing the 155-pound crown at UFC 280, the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ has defended his title twice, both times against current featherweight king, Alexander Volkanovski. With ‘The Great’ now firmly in his rearview, Makhachev is gearing up for his next big challenge. As it stands, there are a handful of viable contenders vying for the opportunity, including Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, and Dustin Poirier.
However, if you peel back the curtain a bit more, you’ll find another emerging contender that could very well hold the key to ending Makhachev’s title reign. Riding a three-fight win streak, Arman Tsarukyan revealed himself as one of the division’s top talents with a brutal 64-second knockout of Beneil Dariush in December.
Tsarukyan has come a long way since coming up short in his promotional debut in 2019 which, ironically, came against none other than Islam Makhachev. Their history would certainly add a level of intrigue to a potential lightweight title tilt, but Hooker doesn’t see the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ hanging around long enough to run it back with the Armenian.
“Yeah, they had a pretty close fight in the first one,” said Hooker during an appearance on The MMA Hour. “Yeah, he could beat him. He’s not going to fight him. I guarantee he’ll retire by the time Arman gets there, for sure. It’s too risky, there’s too much risk. There’s too many other easier fights out there that he’d rather fight. There’s easier fights out there, stylistically.”
Will Fans pay to see Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan 2?
Dan Hooker also questioned whether or not fight fans would be willing to pay a premium price to watch an event headlined by a Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan rematch.
“There are bigger names,” Hooker continued. “No one’s going to buy an Arman Tsarukyan pay-per-view. No one’s tuning in to the press conference. No one’s giving $80 for the pay-per-view. You’d rather watch Islam fight McGregor or Gaethje or something like that.”
With a majority of the lightweight top 10 angling for big-money fights and title opportunities, Hooker may be the one to bite the bullet and accept a fight with Tsarukyan once he’s medically cleared to return.
“I don’t like the guy, I think he’s an idiot,” Hooker added. “I think he’s annoying. Can he fight? A hundred percent. That’s why he’s a very talented young fighter, but he’s just annoying. He’s just a dweeb. I just don’t like him” (h/t Bloody Elbow)
