Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is in Doha, Qatar TODAY (Sat., Nov. 22, 2025) to stage UFC Qatar from inside ABHA Arena featuring a Lightweight bout between Arman Tsarukyan and Dan Hooker. In the co-main event, Belal Muhammad will face Ian Machado Garry in a pivotal Welterweight bout that could have major title fight implications.
DOHA, QATAR – NOVEMBER 21: Arman Tsarukyan of Georgia poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at ABHA Arena on November 21, 2025 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
What UFC event is on tonight? UFC Qatar: “Arman vs. Hooker”
Who is fighting tonight at UFC Qatar? Arman Tsarukyan vs. Dan Hooker Lightweight fight is the five-round main event.
What time does UFC Qatar start? TODAY (Sat., Nov. 22, 2025), beginning at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN+.
Where will UFC Qatar take place? ABHA Arena in Doha, Qatar.
How can I watch UFC Qatar? ESPN+ “Prelims” undercard matches are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET on ESPN+, followed by the remaining main card balance on ESPN+ at 1 p.m. ET.
How do I bet on UFC Qatar? Checkout the latest lines at DraftKings.com
Where can I get UFC Qatar updates and results? Get full UFC Qatar play-by-play updates and live coverage here!
Arman Tsarukyan was all set to get his first-ever shot at winning UFC gold, and in the process attempt to get revenge on Islam Makhachev — who handed him his first-ever defeat inside the Octagon back in 2019 — in a scheduled title fight at UFC 311 earlier this year. But a couple days before the fight he was forced out due to an injury. As a result, he drew the ire of Dana White who revealed he would not be getting a shot once healthy. Indeed, Tsarukyan had to defeat former division champion, Charles Oliveira, which he did via split-decision at UFC 300. That still isn’t good enough to get him back to the title fight as he now has to win yet another fight against Hooker to see if that will get him back in White’s good graces. After all, he is the No. 1 ranked 155-pounder in the game so he shouldn’t have to keep proving himself time and again for bowing out as a result of an injury. Dana gonna’ Dana. Nevertheless, one more win should get him there.
DOHA, QATAR – NOVEMBER 21: Dan Hooker of New Zealand poses on the scale during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at ABHA Arena on November 21, 2025 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
As for Hooker, he has a golden opportunity at hand to win his fourth straight and jump into the Top 5 to shake up the order of at the top. He is currently on a three-fight win streak and was last seen defeating Mateusz Gamrot over a year ago. That said, if he can defeat Tsarukyan it will be his most impressive victory during this run. For “Hangman,” keeping the fight standing and using his slight reach advantage will be his best course to victory. Once Tsarukyan closes the distance and grabs a hold of him he will more than likely be taking a trip down to the canvas where he will be at a disadvantage. That’s not to say Hooker doesn’t know his jiu-jitsu, but Tsarukyan has the skills to suffocate him and render his skills useless once he gets top position. I expect him to dominate the grappling exchanges, so we have to wait and see if Hooker brushed up on his wrestling skills come fight night or if he can keep the fight standing long enough to do his own damage.
DOHA, QATAR – NOVEMBER 21: (L-R) Opponents Jack Hermansson of Sweden and Myktybek Orolbai of Kyrgyzstan face off during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at ABHA Arena on November 21, 2025 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Jack Hermansson has been anything but hot as of late. In fact, he’s been pretty tepid since 2019 because he has been alternating wins and losses over the last six years to the tune of a 5-5 record. While that may be good enough to keep him on the roster it won’t do much in the affect of trying to make a wave in the division. If the pattern holds, he is due for a win when he goes up against Myktybek Orolbai, who has gone an impressive 3-1 to start his UFC career. This will be Hermansson’s first fight at 170 pounds in hopes of a fresh start.
Original Card Vs. Actual Card/Injuries
DOHA, QATAR – NOVEMBER 21: (L-R) Opponents Waldo Cortes-Acosta of the Dominican Republic and Shamil Gaziev of Russia face off during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at ABHA Arena on November 21, 2025 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Shamil Gaziev was originally slated to face Serghei Spivac on this card before Spivac had to withdraw from the event for unknown reasons. Stepping in to fill the void is Waldo Cortes-Acosta, who will be making a quick turnaround after knocking out Ante Delija earlier this month (see it again here). If he can get another win in impressive fashion with his knockout of Delija still fresh on everyone’s mind, Cortes-Acosta is looking at a huge rise in his stock.
DOHA, QATAR – NOVEMBER 21: (L-R) Opponents Marek Bujlo of Poland and Denzel Freeman face off during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at ABHA Arena on November 21, 2025 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Marek Bujło and Denzel Freeman will kick off the action in a battle between two UFC rookies. Bujilo is undefeated at 6-0 with all of his victories coming by way of first-round stoppage, only going over the two-minute mark once in his career. He loves to put his foot on the gas pedal and never let up, so let’s see if he can do that on the biggest stage against a fellow newcomer. Speaking of which, freeman is currently 6-1 in his young UFC career and his finished five of his opponents. Like Bujilo, he likes to get in and out as quick as possible, so something has to give once they collide.
On a four-fight win streak, Shaqueme Rock will be making his UFC debut against Nurullo Aliev. Rock has been a pro for eight years now and hasn’t lost a fight in four years. As for Aliev, he is undefeated at 10-0, which includes going two-for-two — both decision wins — in his UFC career.
Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev — who is undefeated at 7-0 with six stoppage wins — will be making his UFC debut against Raffael Cerqueira, who has been struggling as of late, losing his last three fights inside the Octagon. That said, this is odd matchmaking to say the least.
Luke Riley will be making his UFC debut opposite Bogdan Grad, who had his four—fight win streak snapped at the hands of Muhammadjon Naimov in just his second UFC fight earlier this year. Riley, meanwhile, is undefeated at 11-0 with eight knockouts on his resume, making him a rising Featherweight contender to keep an eye out for.
Saygid Izagakhmaev will be making his UFC debut against Nicolas Dalby. Izagakhmaev is currently on a five-fight win streak with his last three wins coming under the ONE FC banner. He has a tough test against Dalby who is very hungry for a win after dropping his last two fights.
How The ‘Prelims’ Look:
DOHA, QATAR – NOVEMBER 21: (L-R) Opponents Bekzat Almakhan of Kazakstan and Aleksandre Topuria of Germany face off during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at ABHA Arena on November 21, 2025 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Aleksandre Topuria — Ilia Topuria’s brother — will make his second trip to the Octagon when he faces off against Bekzat Almakhan. Topuria is on a four-fight win streak and made a nice impression in his UFC debut by defeating Colby Thicknesse earlier this year. As for Almakhan, he got a rude welcome to the Octagon at the hands of Umar Nurmagomedov, but bounced back nicely with a win over Brad Katona, knocking him out in 64 seconds earlier this year (see it again here).
After making good on his UFC debut by defeating Bruno Silva in earlier 2024, Ismail Naurdiev came up short against Jun Yong Park in his follow up fight. Now, he will attempt to get back on track against another man looking to get back into the winners circle in Ryan Loder, who is coming off a loss at the hands of Azamat Bekoev.
DOHA, QATAR – NOVEMBER 21: (L-R) Opponents Tagir Ulanbekov of Russia and Kyoji Horiguchi of Japan face off during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at ABHA Arena on November 21, 2025 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Kyoji Horiguchi will make his return to the Octagon nearly a decade after his last UFC fight. In his first fight with the promotion he went an impressive 7-1 with his lone loss coming at the hands of former Flyweight champion, Demetrious Johnson. He then left quietly in 2016 and spent his time fighting under the RIZIN and Bellator banners. Known as one of the best 125-pound fighters ever, Horiguchi returns on a six-fight unbeaten streak to face off against Tagir Ulanbekov who is on a four-fight win streak, going 6-1 overall inside the Octagon.
DOHA, QATAR – NOVEMBER 21: (L-R) Opponents Alex Perez and Asu Almabayev of Kazakstan face off during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at ABHA Arena on November 21, 2025 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
Alex Perez has been on a quite a slump as of late, going 1-4 in his last five fights, which will put him at risk of getting cut if he suffers another defeat when he goes up against Asu Almabayev, who has actually been going the opposite direction. Indeed, Almabayev is 5-1 during his run with the promotion, good enough for the No. 8 spot in the division. Perez needs a win here if he wants to remain on the roster.
DOHA, QATAR – NOVEMBER 21: (L-R) Opponents Belal Muhammad and Ian Machado Garry of Ireland face off during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at ABHA Arena on November 21, 2025 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
In the co-main event of the evening, Belal Muhammad (No. 2) and Ian Garry (No. 6) will throw down in a 170-pound bout that can shake up the top of the division. Muhammad has not been inside the cage since dropping his Welterweight strap at the hands of Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 earlier this year. That defeat was “Remember The Name’s” first loss in six years. Now, he will attempt to shake up the top of the division when he goes up against Garry, another man in search of a UFC title fight. Both men are very unhappy with the prospect of Kamaru Usman getting the first title fight against newly-crowned champion, Islam Makhachev, so they will try their best to convince the UFC matchmakers that one of them deserves the first attempt at dethroning the new champion. Garry is 16-1 inside the Octagon and his only loss came at the hands of Shavkat Rakhmonov, who is waiting in the wings for his own championship fight.
Former UFC Light Heavyweight champion, Volkan Oezdemir, will return to action a year removed from his last fight, a loss to Carlos Ulberg, to face off against Alonzo Menifield. Oezdemir has never won more than three straight fights in his eight years with the promotion, and has been inconsistent over the last few years. He is 2-2 in his last four years and hopes to get back on track against Menifield, who is enjoying a two-fight win streak by picking up wins over Oumar Sy and Julius Walker. Menifield is hoping to crack the Top 10 with a win, while Oezdemir wants to make his way back into the Top 5.
DOHA, QATAR – NOVEMBER 21: (L-R) Arman Tsarukyan of Georgia headbutts opponent Dan Hooker of New Zealand during the UFC Fight Night ceremonial weigh-in at ABHA Arena on November 21, 2025 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
UFC Qatar Main Event on ESPN+:
155 lbs.: Arman Tsarukyan vs. Dan Hooker
UFC Qatar Main Card on ESPN+ (1 p.m. ET):
170 lbs.: Belal Muhammad vs. Ian Machado Garry
205 lbs.: Volkan Oezdemir vs. Alonzo Menifield
170 lbs.: Jack Hermansson vs. Myktybek Orolbai
265 lbs.: Shamil Gaziev vs. Waldo Cortes Acosta (not Serghei Spivac)
125 lbs.: Alex Perez vs. Asu Almabayev
UFC Qatar ‘Prelims’ Card on ESPN+ (10 a.m. ET):
145 lbs.: Luke Riley vs. Bogdan Grad
205 lbs.: Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev vs. Raffael Cerqueira
125 lbs.: Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Tagir Ulanbekov
135 lbs.: Bekzat Almakhan vs. Aleksandre Topuria
185 lbs.: Ryan Loder vs. Ismail Naurdiev
155 lobs.: Shaqueme Rock vs. Nurullo Aliev
179 lbs.: Saygid Izagakhmaev vs. Nicolas Dalby
265 lbs.: Marek Bujło vs. Denzel Freeman
*Fight card, bout order and number of fights subject to change.*
MIDDLE EAST MAYHEM! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to action on Sat., Nov. 22, 2025, with an exciting main event set to headline UFC Qatar inside ABHA Arena in Doha. In the ESPN+-streamed main event, Lightweight contenders Arman Tsarukyan vs. Dan Hooker clash in a high-stakes, five-round bout. The co-main event features a Welterweight showdown between Belal Muhammad vs. Ian Machado Garry, with future 170-pound title shot implications on the line. The card will also showcase a Light Heavyweight showdown pitting Volkan Oezdemir vs. Alonzo Menifield, a Heavyweight collision featuring Serghei Spivac vs. Shamil Gaziev, and much more! The start time is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET (“Prelims” undercard) and 1 p.m. ET (main card).
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