Arman Tsarukyan impresses with blistering first round knockout at UFC Fight Night, calls out Dan Hooker

Arman Tsarukyan made a statement on Saturday with a first-round TKO win over Christos Giagos at UFC Fight Night: Smith vs. Spann.

The No.14-ranked UFC lightweight fighter dominated Giagos early on but was taken down a minute into the bout. However, the Armenian mixed martial artist got back to his feet. Tsarukyan then dropped his opponent with a left hook and kept connecting with lethal punches to seal the deal at 2:09.

Following his triumph, Arman Tsarukyan was interviewed by former UFC middleweight champion and commentator Michael Bisping inside the octagon. He took the opportunity to call out No.8 lightweight contender Dan Hooker.

Dan Hooker is currently scheduled to face Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266 next week. However, the New Zealand star had some visa issues, possibly casting a shadow on his fight at the T-Mobile Arena.

Several MMA journalists laud Arman Tsarukyan after his dominant UFC Vegas 37 victory

Arman Tsarukyan notched up his fourth straight win in the UFC. His last loss came against Islam Makhachev at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Oleinik in April 2019. He's had unanimous decision victories in his last three contests. And just like the matchmaker of the UFC, Sean Shelby, wanted, Tsarukyan finally got his finish.

Immediately after the bout, top MMA journalists, including the likes of ESPN's Brett Okamoto and Marc Raimondi, heaped praise on the 24-year-old fighter. Some called him a threat in the lightweight division.

Here are some of the best Twitter reactions following Arman Tsarukyan's win over Christos Giagos:

The Armenian issued a short statement to say he was just getting started. He is definitely a talent to watch out for in the 155-pound division.

About the author

Dominic Richard is an MMA Writer who joined Sportskeeda in September 2021. He is responsible for contributing news articles and features.

Dominic had previously worked as a reporter and sub-editor for the Sportstar magazine and website (2019-21), The Hindu newspaper and Arsenal Fever fan site (2015-17). He graduated from Chennai's Asian College of Journalism in May 2019.

Away from work, Dom is a sitcom freak whose favourite shows are Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory and its prequel Young Sheldon. He spends the weekends playing football with his friends and does a bit of cycling too.

Know More