For the first time in its history, the UFC touched down in Qatar, as the Ali Bin Hamad al-Attiyah Arena played host to a number of solid performances and key matchups in a few contendership scenes.
This is the third country in the Middle East to play host to the UFC, following the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The UFC was just in the Middle East last month for UFC 321, which saw the infamous Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane heavyweight championship no contest.
The main event saw a lightweight contenders battle as Arman Tsarukyan returned to the Octagon to take on Dan Hooker. This marked Tsarukyan’s first fight since defeating Charles Oliveira at UFC 300. He had been scheduled to challenge then-lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 311, but a back injury during weight cutting led to Tsarukyan pulling out one day before the fight. Hooker, meanwhile, came into this fight off his UFC 305 win over Mateusz Gamrot.
The co-main event was a pivotal fight at welterweight between Belal Muhammad and Ian Machado Garry. This marked Muhammad’s first fight since dropping the welterweight championship to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315. Machado Garry rebounded from his first pro loss with a win at UFC Kansas City in April, defeating Carlos Prates.
Who showed out in Qatar? Who faltered? Let’s go through together with the Hits and Misses of UFC Qatar!
Hit: Ismael Naudriev Starts The Momentum
After his upset loss to Park Jun-yong at UFC Baku, Ismael Naudriev needed something big — and he found it with the way he put away Ryan Loder during the prelims.
After already catching Loder with a right hand, Naudriev planted another one perfectly on the button, dropping Loder out cold.
Naudriev is now 2-1 in the Octagon since coming over from Brave CF. He went 2-2 in his first stint with the UFC. Naudriev needs another solid win like this one to show that this second stint is going to be far different from the first.
Hit: Encore, Adbul-Rakhman Yakhyave
Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyave had a quick finish to secure a UFC contract during his appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series. He pretty much repeated the performance to mark his UFC debut at UFC Qatar, too.
After missing one high kick, Yakhyave landed with one and a right hand. He then pounded away on opponent Rafael Cerqueira before dragging him to the floor, locking up a choke for the submission victory.
Yakhyave appeared on DWCS this past August, scoring a 30-second finish of Alik Lorenz. If he has another strong outing, the former ARES FC light heavyweight champion might prove he’s one to watch out for on the undercard.
Hit: Asu Almabayev Makes Dustin Poirier Proud
Asu Almabayev wasn’t being silly; he jumped the guilly, and it worked. In a battle of top-10 flyweight contenders, Asu Almabayev found himself in trouble, but strategically used the guillotine to score a submission of Alex Perez.
Perez used his striking and forward-moving pressure throughout the first two rounds to take control, though Almabayev fought back well during the opening frame. The second proved to be a different story, however, as Perez had the upper hand solidly with the inclusion of two takedown attempts.
Almabayev used Perez’s own aggression against him in the third, however, catching him in a guillotine and scoring the submission.
Almabayev is now 6-1 in the UFC and, at minimum, will take Alex Perez’s No. 7 in the UFC flyweight rankings. He may have now positioned himself two or three more wins away from challenging Alexandre Pantoja (or whoever the UFC flyweight champion may be).
Hit: Luke Riley Riles Up The Crowd With Solid Octagon Debut
It was far from perfect and presented holes in his game. The UFC debut of Luke Riley, however, can’t be considered anything else but a success after the way he scored a knockout of Bogdan Grad.
Grad seemed to get the better of Riley early in the fight, scoring multiple takedowns and using his grappling to outwork him. But Riley landed a solid left hand to drop Grad early in the second, connecting on follow-up shots to put things away.
Riley went 11-0 in Cage Warriors before joining the UFC. And hopefully this is the start of a successful string of events in the Octagon for Riley.
Hit: Welcome back, Kyoji Horiguchi
Kyoji Horiguchi had long been considered someone the UFC let get away. But nine years later, he’s back, and he’s already established himself as (again) a true contender in the flyweight division.
After a quiet opening round against Tagir Ulanbekov, Horiguchi tagged him a couple of times during the second round, both landing effectively on the feet and controlling the action on the ground. After knocking Ulanbekov again with a head kick and punches in the third, Horiguchi locked him up in a choke, putting Ulanbekov to sleep.
In the nine years he’s been away from the UFC, Horiguchi has been a top performer in both RIZIN and Bellator, capturing bantamweight titles in both promotions, as well as becoming the inaugural RIZIN flyweight champion. Now, he’ll already have one statement made as he strives forward toward a potential shot at the UFC flyweight title again one day — just as he did when challenging Demetrious Johnson about a decade ago.
Hit: Waldo Cortes-Acosta Turns Around And KOs Again
Waldo Cortes-Acosta only found out a couple of days earlier that he was going to be competing at UFC Qatar. He narrowly made it for weigh-ins and was somehow able to make the 266-pound limit. And then, he delivered another highlight first-round knockout.
Both men swung away, and WCA rocked Shamil Gaziev seconds into the fight. And then all it would end up taking is one right hand to drop Gaziev out to seal the fight in favor of “Salsa Boy.”
Cortes-Acosta fought just three weeks ago, going from nearly getting finished via eye poke to scoring a first-round knockout with his vision hindered. He’s now fought five times this year, going 4-1, and he might fight a sixth in December if he gets his way.
If Merab Dvalishvili loses his title to Petr Yan at UFC 323, Cortes-Acosta has a shot at winning Fighter of the Year. Either way, he may be positioning himself to challenge the winner of Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane 2.
Miss: A Bad Decision For Jack Hermansson
Seriously, who in Jack Hermansson’s team thought it was a great idea for him to drop to 170?
Hermansson is 37 years old and was coming off a brutal knockout loss to Gregory “Robocop” Rodrigues at UFC 317. That was his first fight since February 2024. And then you have him cut more weight than before, and he didn’t seem to have the same kind of body as he did at 185. And now? He gets knocked out in brutal fashion again, this time by Myktybek Orolbai.
Hermansson needs to go back up to 185. And to be more brutal, if he doesn’t want to do 185 anymore, he may need to call it a career. I don’t want him to go that route, but I’m concerned for his health, especially if he tries 170 again. And he doesn’t have the body to succeed at 205.
Again, who made the call for him to drop to welterweight? Because he shouldn’t have in this first place.
Hit: Volkan Oezdemir’s Still Got It
Volkan Oezdemir may be 36, and he may not have been as active over the last couple of years, but he still can go.
Pressure was the name of the game in his fight with Alonzo Menifield. Oezdemir came forward and cut off the game, until he trapped Menifield near the cage, cornering him. That’s when he unloaded on combinations until the referee stopped the fight.
Oezdemir’s activity may have slowed, but he’s still won three of his last four and has been a constant presence in the rankings of the UFC’s light heavyweight division. And if anyone wants to break into the top 10, he’ll be a tough test.
Hit: Ian Garry – “The Future” Might Now Be The Present
There may be plenty of debate about if he deserves a welterweight title shot, but one thing cannot be denied after his win over Belal Muhammad: Ian Garry is legitimately a top contender in the division.
Machado Garry was in control through the opening round, getting the better of Muhammad, who was trying to trade with him for some reason. Muhammad then attempted takedowns during the second and third rounds, but he found no success. Garry’s striking and takedown defense ultimately led him to the decision win.
Did Machado Garry put on a better performance than Carlos Prates or Michael Morales did last week? Probably not. Does he have a solid resume for a title shot? Probably. Regardless, Machado Garry is at minimum on the doorstep of a title shot.
Miss: A Long Road Back For Belal Muhammad
That’s more than can be said for Belal Muhammad, unfortunately for him.
Muhammad had a long unbeaten streak and claimed the welterweight title; there’s no doubt about it. But since then, he won the title in a boring fight with Leon Edwards, he dropped the gold in his first defense against Jack Della Maddalena, and now he was easily handled by Ian Machado Garry.
Muhammad is still going to be a top-10, and maybe even a top-5, welterweight come the release of the new rankings. But when you’re a division that’s full of hungry, younger up-and-comers like the ones previously mentioned — combined with a new champion now in the dominant Islam Makhachev? It’s going to be a rough road back to the top for him.
Hit: Arman Tsarukyan’s Still No. 1 (Contender)
I won’t defend Arman Tsarukyan headbutting Dan Hooker and risking the main event. I won’t defend Arman Tsarukyan getting his suspension, and it’s a shame it’s been about a year and a half since we last saw him in action. But if there’s one thing UFC Qatar showed, it’s that Arman Tsarukyan should be getting a lightweight title fight against Ilia Topuria.
Tsarukyan went toe-to-toe with Hooker on the feet in the first round, which also featured Hooker trying his own submission before Tsarukyan controlled the action for the remainder of the round. Tsarukyan took advantage of another failed Hooker submission by dominating from up top, battering Hooker’s face before winning with an arm-triangle choke.
Tsarukyan will certainly remain No. 1 in the rankings. And if Ilia Topuria gets past his first challenger (whether it be Justin Gaethje or Paddy Pimblett) — and if Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev can’t be made — then the UFC may have to consider Topuria vs. Tsarukyan. It logically seems like the best matchup — and perhaps the most interesting stylistically.
