UFC Fight Night Tsarukyan vs Hooker results and review from Qatar

Quick hits from UFC Fight Night Tsarukyan vs Hooker

• Tsarukyan’s arm-triangle choke in round two capped off a suffocating wrestling and top-control clinic.
• Dan Hooker’s three-fight resurgence snapped under relentless pressure and crushing ground-and-pound.
• Ian Machado Garry outpointed former champion Belal Muhammad in a disciplined kickboxing performance over three rounds.
• Waldo Cortes-Acosta flattened Shamil Gaziev with a short-notice heavyweight knockout inside 90 seconds.
• Kyoji Horiguchi returned to the UFC win column with a slick rear-naked choke over Tagir Ulanbekov in round three.
• Prelims delivered rapid-fire finishes: Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev scored a 33-second RNC, while Asu Almabayev tapped Alex Perez early in round three.

Full UFC Fight Night Tsarukyan vs Hooker results

Here is the full UFC Fight Night Tsarukyan vs Hooker results rundown from the promotion’s debut in Qatar,
listed from main event down to opening bout.

• Lightweight (main event): Arman Tsarukyan def. Dan Hooker via submission (arm-triangle choke), R2 3:34
• Welterweight (co-main): Ian Machado Garry def. Belal Muhammad via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
• Light heavyweight: Volkan Oezdemir def. Alonzo Menifield via KO (knee and punches), R1 1:27
• Welterweight: Myktybek Orolbai def. Jack Hermansson via KO (punch), R1 2:46
• Heavyweight: Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Shamil Gaziev via KO (punch), R1 1:22
• Flyweight: Kyoji Horiguchi def. Tagir Ulanbekov via technical submission (rear-naked choke), R3 2:18
• Featherweight: Luke Riley def. Bogdan Grad via KO (punches), R2 0:30
• Welterweight: Nicolas Dalby def. Saygid Izagakhmaev via split decision, R3 5:00
• Flyweight: Asu Almabayev def. Alex Perez via submission (guillotine choke), R3 0:22
• Light heavyweight: Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev def. Raffael Cerqueira via submission (rear-naked choke), R1 0:33
• Bantamweight: Aleksandre Topuria def. Bekzat Almakhan via unanimous decision, R3 5:00
• Middleweight: Ismail Naurdiev def. Ryan Loder via KO (punch), R1 1:26
• Lightweight: Nurullo Aliev def. Shaqueme Rock via unanimous decision, R3 5:00
• Heavyweight: Denzel Freeman def. Marek Bujlo via unanimous decision, R3 5:00

Main event breakdown: Tsarukyan mauls Hooker in Qatar

How we got here

Coming into UFC Fight Night Tsarukyan vs Hooker, Arman Tsarukyan was already viewed as the uncrowned number-one contender at lightweight. Fresh off high-level wins over names like Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush in recent years, he arrived in Qatar as a relentless pressure wrestler with sharpened boxing and championship ambitions.

Dan Hooker, meanwhile, returned from a long injury layoff after the war with Mateusz Gamrot. Riding a three-fight winning streak, “The Hangman” was banking on his length, knees, and elbows to punish Tsarukyan’s entries. The storyline was simple: could Hooker keep the fight standing long enough to make it a damaging striking battle, or would Tsarukyan’s chain wrestling and top game smother him?

Add in the historic backdrop – UFC’s first event in Qatar, a sold-out arena, and a prime-time slot for Middle Eastern fans –
and this main event carried far more than just rankings implications.

What happened in the fight

From the opening seconds, Tsarukyan refused to give Hooker breathing room. He jabbed his way into range, ducked under the first long right hand and immediately wrapped up the hips. Hooker showed his usual grit, throwing short elbows and trying to frame off, but Tsarukyan’s level changes and back-takes forced him to play defense against the fence.

Round one became a preview of the finish: Tsarukyan chained single-legs into body locks, tripped Hooker to the mat and
rode heavy from half guard. Hooker kept his guard open, looking to build to the fence, but every scramble ended with Arman
cross-facing, landing short punches and knees to the body. By the horn, Hooker already had redness around the eye
and the look of a man who had spent five minutes stuck under a human backpack.

In round two, Tsarukyan dialed the pressure up further. A brief striking exchange saw him land a clean right hand that forced Hooker backward. As Hooker tried to pivot out, Tsarukyan shot deep, drove him to the canvas, and immediately began slicing through guard. Once he cleared Hooker’s knee line and settled into side control, the finish felt inevitable.

Tsarukyan trapped Hooker’s right arm, slid his head to the opposite side and squeezed tight on the arm-triangle setup. Hooker tried to bridge and create space, but Tsarukyan’s hip pressure pinned him in place. After a few desperate seconds, Hooker’s body language changed and the referee stepped in as Hooker went limp, awarding Tsarukyan the technical submission in the second round.

Numbers, translated

The stats underline just how dominant this UFC Fight Night Tsarukyan vs Hooker main event was for the Armenian contender.
Arman secured multiple takedowns across the first two rounds, spent the majority of the fight in top control,
and limited Hooker to only a handful of significant strikes landed cleanly.

More important than the raw numbers was the efficiency:
Tsarukyan used his boxing only to set up level changes, wasted almost no shots on the mat, and transitioned smoothly from damage to submission as soon as Hooker’s defense broke. It was the kind of low-risk, high-damage performance that matchmakers love to see from someone knocking on the title door.

What the result means for Tsarukyan and Hooker

For Arman Tsarukyan, this win in Qatar cements his status as the most logical next challenger after the current champion deals with mandatory defenses. He now owns a five-fight winning streak, a statement finish over a ranked veteran, and the spotlight from headlining the UFC’s debut in a new market.

Expect Tsarukyan’s management to push hard for a title shot against Ilia Topuria or a top-contender clash if the belt is tied up. A fight with someone like Justin Gaethje or the winner of another top-five pairing would keep him active while preserving his claim as the division’s most dangerous grappler.

For Dan Hooker, the result is a setback but not a career-ender. He faced one of the most suffocating wrestlers at 155, coming off a year out with a serious injury. The durability and willingness to take tough fights that define his career remain intact, but this loss likely pushes him back toward fun-action matchups rather than immediate title contention.

Co-main story: Garry solves the Belal puzzle

If the main event was about grappling dominance, the co-main leaned almost entirely on range, timing and discipline. Ian Machado Garry faced the toughest test of his career in former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad – a cardio machine known for pressure, clinch work, and fence wrestling.

Garry passed that test with a measured, risk-aware performance. He pumped the jab, hammered Muhammad’s lead leg, and circled away from the fence at every opportunity. Whenever Belal tried to commit to takedowns, Garry forced him to shoot from distance, defended with strong underhooks and reset to the center.

The result was a clear unanimous decision for Garry and a breakthrough win over a former champion with elite résumé value. From a rankings standpoint, this moves Garry into genuine title eliminator territory and confirms that his slick striking style can hold up over hard, grinding minutes against a wrestler who rarely fades.

Other main card highlights

Volkan Oezdemir still has “No Time” power

Volkan Oezdemir needed less than 90 seconds to remind light heavyweight fans that his nickname still fits. Against powerhouse Alonzo Menifield, Oezdemir timed a brutal knee as Menifield stepped in, following up with punches to earn a first-round knockout. It was vintage Volkan – short, brutal and decisive – and keeps him relevant in a division that always needs dangerous veterans who can end fights in one exchange.

Myktybek Orolbai upsets Jack Hermansson

Jack Hermansson’s move down to welterweight came with big expectations, but Myktybek Orolbai had other plans. Orolbai cracked Hermansson with a clean right hand mid-feint, sending him crashing to the canvas, and polished off the job with follow-up shots for a first-round knockout. The win instantly turns Orolbai into one of the card’s biggest overperformers and gives him a claim to a ranked opponent next.

Cortes-Acosta’s short-notice KO shakes up heavyweight

Waldo Cortes-Acosta stepped in on short notice against ranked heavyweight Shamil Gaziev and turned the opportunity into a signature moment. Pressing forward from the opening bell, he clipped Gaziev with a short right hand in a wild exchange, forced a scramble and then landed another heavy punch that sent Gaziev down for good. Finishing a ranked opponent in just over a minute, especially on a quick turnaround, will likely launch Cortes-Acosta into the edge of the top 10 and earn him another marquee matchup in early 2026.

Horiguchi’s slick RNC shows he still belongs

Kyoji Horiguchi’s technical submission of Tagir Ulanbekov was one of the cleanest grappling sequences of the night. After a competitive first two rounds, Horiguchi capitalised on a scramble, took the back and locked the rear-naked choke so deep that the referee stepped in as Ulanbekov went out. For a former RIZIN and Bellator champion, this was an important reminder that even late in his career, he remains one of the sport’s most polished flyweights.

Prelims that mattered

The undercard of UFC Fight Night Tsarukyan vs Hooker was stacked with prospects and veterans trying to break through.
Several performances stood out, both for how quickly they ended and for what they mean going forward.

• Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev needed only 33 seconds to submit Raffael Cerqueira with a rear-naked choke at light heavyweight, announcing himself as a powerful finisher in one of the promotion’s thinner divisions.
• Asu Almabayev wrapped up a late guillotine on former title challenger Alex Perez just 22 seconds into round three, turning a difficult matchup into a statement win that should propel him toward ranked opposition.
• Luke Riley earned a Performance of the Night bonus with a second-round KO over Bogdan Grad, showing off sharp boxing and killer instinct in his UFC debut.
• Aleksandre Topuria (brother of featherweight champion Ilia Topuria) outworked Bekzat Almakhan for a unanimous decision, adding another notable surname to the UFC’s growing Georgian-Spanish pipeline.
• Nurullo Aliev wrestled his way to a clear decision over Shaqueme Rock at lightweight, keeping his prospect momentum going with methodical top control and steady output.
• Denzel Freeman picked up a unanimous decision over Marek Bujlo in his promotional debut, proving that his run as an LFA heavyweight champion can translate onto the UFC stage.
• Ismail Naurdiev flattened Ryan Loder with a first-round punch at middleweight, reminding fans of the finishing threat that once made him a welterweight dark horse.

What’s next after UFC Fight Night Tsarukyan vs Hooker?

With UFC Fight Night Tsarukyan vs Hooker now in the books, the matchmaking questions come fast:
who deserves title shots, who needs rebuild fights, and which break-out names should get fast-tracked?

• Arman Tsarukyan: A lightweight title shot against current champion Ilia Topuria is the most compelling option. If that is not immediately available, a top-contender bout against someone like Justin Gaethje or the winner of another top-five clash keeps him active without risking his standing.
• Dan Hooker: A striker-friendly matchup against another fan favourite – think Jalin Turner rematch or a fight with a surging prospect – would fit his stage of career better than another grind against a prime wrestler.
• Ian Machado Garry: After beating Belal Muhammad, Garry has a strong argument for a title eliminator at welterweight. A clash with the loser of a future title fight or a top-three contender would answer any remaining questions about his readiness.
• Belal Muhammad: Still extremely difficult to beat, he remains a gatekeeper to the division’s very top. A matchup with another top-five opponent or a rising contender would show whether this was a one-off off night or the start of decline.
• Waldo Cortes-Acosta: Short-notice KO over a ranked heavyweight should earn him another top-10 name, ideally with a full camp and high placement on a main card.
• Kyoji Horiguchi: A ranked flyweight bout inside the top 10 would be the logical next step, especially against another technical striker who can test both his defense and his timing.

Why UFC Fight Night Tsarukyan vs Hooker mattered

• It marked the UFC’s first-ever event in Qatar, strengthening the promotion’s footprint in the Middle East alongside Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia.
• UFC Fight Night Tsarukyan vs Hooker results clarified the lightweight pecking order, effectively cementing Tsarukyan as the next man in line when the title picture clears.
• The card showcased multiple divisions – lightweight, welterweight, flyweight, heavyweight – all producing decisive finishes that make future matchmaking easier and more exciting.
• With 8 finishes out of 14 fights, it delivered the kind of action that makes Fight Night cards feel as important as some numbered PPVs.
• Several new markets and fanbases in the region got a live look at high-level MMA, which will matter when the UFC plans future events in Qatar and neighbouring countries.

FAQ: UFC Fight Night Tsarukyan vs Hooker results

Who won the UFC Fight Night Tsarukyan vs Hooker main event?

Arman Tsarukyan won the UFC Fight Night Tsarukyan vs Hooker main event in Qatar, submitting Dan Hooker with a tight arm-triangle choke in round two after dominating the wrestling and top-control exchanges.

How did Tsarukyan finish Hooker in Qatar?

Tsarukyan secured a takedown, passed to side control and locked in an arm-triangle choke. With his head and hips perfectly positioned, he squeezed until Hooker went out, forcing a technical submission stoppage at 3:34 of round two.

Where did UFC Fight Night Tsarukyan vs Hooker take place?

The card took place at the Ali Bin Hamad al-Attiyah Arena (often referenced as ABHA Arena) in Al Rayyan / Doha, Qatar, making it the first UFC event ever hosted in the country.

What were the key UFC Fight Night Tsarukyan vs Hooker results on the main card?

Beyond Tsarukyan’s submission win over Hooker, Ian Machado Garry defeated Belal Muhammad via unanimous decision, Volkan Oezdemir knocked out Alonzo Menifield, Myktybek Orolbai knocked out Jack Hermansson, Waldo Cortes-Acosta knocked out Shamil Gaziev, and Kyoji Horiguchi earned a technical submission over Tagir Ulanbekov.

Who got bonuses at UFC Fight Night Tsarukyan vs Hooker?

No Fight of the Night was awarded. Performance of the Night bonuses went to Arman Tsarukyan, Waldo Cortes-Acosta, Kyoji Horiguchi and Luke Riley for their emphatic finishes.

What does this event mean for the lightweight title picture?

UFC Fight Night Tsarukyan vs Hooker results effectively elevate Arman Tsarukyan to true number-one-contender status. While timing and existing commitments will determine when he fights for the belt, his case for a title shot is now stronger than any other active lightweight outside the reigning champion.