Ireland’s Ian Machado Garry will face former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad in the co-main event at UFC Qatar on 22 November.
The 27-year-old beat Carlos Prates in his last UFC outing in April, after suffering a first defeat in the organisation to Shavkat Rakhmonov in December 2024.
American Muhammad lost his belt to Jack Della Maddalena in May and will be vying with Machado Garry to get back in the title frame.
The winner will be in a strong position to face the victor of Australian Della Maddalena’s first title defence against Islam Makhachev at UFC 322 in November.
Russia’s Makhachev vacated his lightweight title to step up in weight to face the Australian.
Armenia’s Arman Tsarukyan and New Zealand’s Dan Hooker will face each other in the card’s main event in Qatar in a lightweight clash.
This will be the first time Tsarukyan will be back in the octagon after pulling out of a title bout against Makhachev in January, with Hooker returning to action after being prevented from competing since August 2024 because of persistent hand injuries.
