Dan Hooker did not disappear after UFC Qatar. If anything, he showed up exactly as fans expected: bruised, witty, and laughing in the aftermath of a fight week that escalated into a full-fledged war. From the trash talk to the now-famous weigh-in headbutt, everything about this contest was wild, emotional, and nearly insane.

When the cage doors eventually closed, Arman Tsarukyan‘s quickness, pressure, and grappling simply overpowered ‘The Hangman.’ But Hooker did not limp out of Qatar looking for sympathy. Instead, he just sat down with The Mac Life and gave the most Dan Hooker medical update possible: dry humor, no excuses, and a jibe at the man who headbutted him 24 hours before the fight.

Dan Hooker issues an injury update… with a punchline

When asked how he was feeling after getting choked out in round two, Dan Hooker dismissed the damage with the ease of someone discussing a minor inconvenience. “I just went to the hospital last night, got scanned, everything’s all good,” he said. “They said my nose was broken. I was like, well, that was from the weigh-in, not the fight.”

He delivered the line grinning, a clear sign that he was taking a lighthearted dig at the headbutt rather than making an actual complaint. And honestly, it fit perfectly with the energy he had all week. ‘The Hangman’ never pretended the animosity was fake. He never pretended that ‘Ahalkalakets’ wasn’t dangerous.

And despite the fact that the choke forced him to tap, he was not bitter. His tone indicated that the broken-nose joke was less about the injury and more about refusing to let the situation humble him. For a fighter who strolled into UFC Qatar with a grin and told the cameras, “Let’s go, I love it,” despite the brawl-like situation at the weigh-in, the humor almost felt like closure.

Still, the fight itself was a reminder of just how sharp the Armenian is. Dan Hooker looked good early on, stuffing the initial takedown, but as Arman Tsarukyan took the top position and drew blood, the tide turned. By round two, ‘The Hangman’ was being out-landed, out-pressured, and eventually trapped in a head-and-arm choke from which he could not escape.

And while the number 1-ranked lightweight Arman Tsarukyan wasted no time afterward, calling out Ilia Topuria and promising to fight for the title as early as late January, Dan Hooker had a hard pill to swallow instead. ‘The Hangman’ was no longer the threat that he once was. In fact, he admitted to his fans that he’ll never be champion.

Dan Hooker reveals a new career goal

Dan Hooker did not try to hide the significance of the loss. Sitting with a beer and a swollen nose, he made it clear: the title run is over. No excuses or denials, only the reality of a veteran who has been in too many wars to pretend otherwise. “Well, you’ve gotta face the cold, hard truths; you’re probably never going to get your hands on a title,” he told The Mac Life, delivering the same brutal honesty he’s been known for.

But instead of calling it quits, he changed his focus to something much more character-appropriate. “I’m going to hang around as long as I possibly can and ruin as many people’s hopes and dreams as I can,” he added. “If I can’t have nice things, no one can.” It wasn’t bitterness; it was more like a man enjoying the chaos he excels at. If he can’t chase the belt, he will chase the contenders who are after it.

He also admitted his mistakes, laughing at his own decision to go for guillotines, which Charles Oliveira himself was unable to complete. “I forgot,” he said, shocked that Arman Tsarukyan had backflipped out of his second effort. But say what you will, despite the damage and the miles, Hooker hasn’t lost his edge—or the honesty that turns every setback into fuel for ‘The Hangman.’