UFC Qatar has its headliner bouts set for the promotion’s debut in the country.
On Wednesday, UFC announced that the UFC Qatar main event will pit top lightweight contenders Arman Tsarukyan (22-3) and Dan Hooker (24-12) against one another at the Ali Bin Hamad al-Attiyah Arena on Nov. 22. The co-main event was also revealed in the announcement and features former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad (24-4, 1 NC) looking to bounce back against Ian Machado Garry (16-1).
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Despite the caliber of the co-main event matchup, it was not specified if Muhammad vs. Garry will be a five-round non-title bout.
UFC Qatar’s headliner bout marks the first appearance for Tsarukyan since he was scheduled to challenge the now-former champion Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title in January. The No. 1-ranked UFC lightweight contender infamously pulled out the day prior due to a back injury, resulting in Renato Moicano taking his place on short notice. Tsarukyan has won his past four fights, with his most recent victory coming in April 2024 at UFC 300, where he defeated Charles Oliveira by split decision.
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On the other hand, Hooker has been on a resurgent run, stringing together three wins in a row to slot him into the division’s top five. Unfortunately for “The Hangman,” injuries have halted his momentum since his August 2024 win over Mateusz Gamrot. Hooker was supposed to compete in a highly anticipated clash against Justin Gaethje at UFC 313 this past March until a broken hand forced him to withdraw.
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A win for either fighter should comfortably put them as the next challenger to the lightweight title, while the welterweight co-main event will also help sort out the loaded contender pecking order.
The current 11-fight UFC Qatar lineup:
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Arman Tsarukyan vs. Dan Hooker
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Belal Muhammad vs. Ian Machado Garry
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Alex Perez vs. Asu Almabayev
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Jan Błachowicz vs. Bogdan Guskov
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Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev vs. Rafael Cerqueira
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Bekzat Almakhan vs. Aleksandre Topuria
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Felipe Lima vs. Daniel Marcos
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Heavyweight bout: Serghei Spivac vs. Shamil Gaziev
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Marek Bujło vs. Denzel Freeman
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Ismail Naurdiev vs. Ryan Loder
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Jack Hermansson vs. Myktybek Orolbai
