Hooper: "I don't even know who Arman should fight with"

American UFC fighter Chase Hooper commented on the situation in which Arman Tsarukyan, the number two in the lightweight division, found himself.

According to Hooper, the promotion is punishing the number two ranked fighter for failing to make it to the title fight with Islam Makhachev, although the incident was officially attributed to an injury.

Let us remind you that it was recently announced that Justin Gaethje and Ilya Topuria will fight for the lightweight championship belt in the summer tournament, while Tsarukyan was again left without a fight.

“I don’t even know who Arman is going to fight. Judging by everything, they’re forcing him to take the longest possible route to the title. It’s related to the incident when he refused to fight Makhachev. The UFC pretended that Tsarukyan had an injury, but then they said that he had weight problems,” Hooper said in an interview with Home of Fight.

 The fighter is sure that the league leadership is angry with Tsarukyan, since the process of cutting weight in the UFC is carried out under the strict supervision of specialists.

"I think that's why they're mad at Tsarukyan in the UFC. When you're making weight, the UFC doctors and dietitians are in constant contact with you. I think they won't give Tsarukyan a fight with Paddy Pimblett, so... Maybe they'll offer him a move to welterweight," the American added.

Tsarukyan last stepped into the octagon against Dan Hooker in November 2025 at UFC Fight Night 265 in Doha, Qatar. That fight ended in a brilliant victory for Arman thanks to a choke in the second round. He has a record of 23 wins and three losses.