Dariush vs. Tsarukyan, Green vs. Hooker Both Set for Five Rounds at UFC Austin

UFC Austin will feature a double main event of sorts.

UFC CEO Dana White announced late Monday night that a lightweight clash between Beneil Dariush and Arman Tsarukyan will serve as the main event for the Dec. 2 card. Meanwhile, Bobby Green and Dan Hooker will square off in another five-round, 155-pound pairing in the evening’s co-headliner.

UFC Fight Night takes place at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, and also includes a bantamweight showdown pitting Rob Font against ex-flyweight king Deiveson Figueiredo as well as a welterweight tilt between Sean Brady and Kelvin Gastelum.

Dariush compiled an eight-fight winning streak in the Octagon to find himself on the brink of a title shot before suffering a first-round TKO defeat against Charles Oliveira at UFC 289 in his most recent outing on June 10. The Kings MMA product’s resume includes wins over the likes of Mateusz Gamrot, Tony Ferguson, Drew Dober, Thiago Moises, Jim Miller and Michael Johnson.

Tsarukyan, meanwhile, has been victorious in seven of nine promotional appearances, with his only two defeats coming against Gamrot and reigning lightweight champ Islam Makhachev. After falling to Gamrot in the UFC on ESPN 38 headliner, the 27-year-old American Top Team export has rebounded to post back-to-back triumphs against Damir Ismagulov and Joaquim Silva.

A veteran of 47 professional bouts, Green turned heads when he knocked out surging lightweight Grant Dawson in 33 seconds at UFC Fight Night 229 on Oct. 7. Green’s 2023 campaign has also included a third-round submission of Ferguson at UFC 291 and a no contest against Jared Gordon at UFC Fight Night 222.

Hooker has built a reputation as one of the UFC’s most reliable action fighters. After losing four of five outings from July 2020 to March 2022, “Hangman” has recovered to score consecutive triumphs over Claudio Puelles and Jalin Turner. The City Kickboxing standout has also bested the likes of Nasrat Haqparast, Paul Felder, Al Iaquinta and Gilbert Burns during his promotional tenure.