Making the strip out to the Middle East for one of the biggest Fight Night cards of the year, UFC Qatar provided a few answers to the complicated title pictures at both lightweight and welterweight. At 155-lb, Armenian sensation Arman Tsarukyan tapped out divisional luminary Dan Hooker to possibly secure his second championship opportunity.
At 170-lb, Ian Machado Garry came out on top against former belt-holder Belal Muhammad, stuffing all of the Chicago native’s takedown attempts to secure a sterling unanimous decision victory.
Now, let’s take a look at some interesting post-event tidbits for UFC Qatar.
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UFC Qatar: Kyoji Horiguchi def. Tagir Ulanbekov
Kyoji Horiguchi
Horiguchi’s submission win over Ulanbekov is his sixth professional victory by submission. His current win streak now stands at six in a row. Exiting UFC Qatar, his UFC record now stands at 8-1.
Tagir Ulanbekov
Ulanbekov’s loss to Horiguchi was his first defeat since losing to Tim Elliot at UFC 272 in March 2022. It’s also his first setback against an unranked fighter also since his confrontation with Elliot.
His last five opponents boast a cumulative professional record of 87-12-1.
UFC Qatar: Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Shamil Gaziev
Waldo Cortes-Acosta
Cortes-Acosta’s UFC Qatar knockout win over Gaziev is his fastest finish in the UFC at 1:22. It was also the swiftest stoppage of his professional tenure as well.
Eight of his 16 victories have now come via strikes. He has now won two Performance of the Night bonuses in succession.
Shamil Gaziev
His loss to Cortes-Acosta is just the second defeat of his professional journey after previously falling to Jairzinho Rozenstruik in 2024 at UFC Vegas 87. It was also the end of his two-fight winning streak, which was bolstered by triumphs over Don’Tale Mayes and Thomas Petersen.
All but one of his UFC appearances have now taken place on a Fight Night card.
UFC Qatar: Myktybek Orolbai def. Jack Hermansson
Myktybek Orolbai
Orolbai’s win over Hermansson is his second victory in just five months, also trouncing Tofiq Musayev back at UFC on ABC 8. Three of his five UFC bouts have now ended inside the distance.
He has not lost since October 2024 at UFC 308.
Jack Hermansson
Hermansson’s loss to Orolbai was his third knockout defeat in his last five fights. His trip to Qatar was also his first appearance in the Middle East since UFC Fight Night 172 back in 2020.
He is now 2-4 in his last six contests.
UFC Qatar: Volkan Oezdemir def. Alonzo Menifield
Volkan Oezdemir
Ozedemir’s win over Menifield is his 14th knockout victory as a professional. He is now 4-2 in his last six tilts.
His UFC record now stands at 8-7.
Alonzo Menifield
Menifield’s loss to Oezdemir was the fourth loss of his professional tenure by knockout. His last three setbacks have now ended by strikes stemming almost four years.
His match with Oezdemir was also his first encounter versus a ranked opponent since Azamat Murzakanov at UFC on ABC 7 in 2024.
UFC Qatar: Ian Machado Garry def. Belal Muhammad
Ian Machado Garry
Garry’s win over Muhammad brought his current winning streak up to two in a row. It’s also the first time he has come to blows with an adversary that had previously held UFC gold.
Nine of his 17 victories as a professional have come because of the judge’s scorecards.
Belal Muhammad
Muhammad’s loss to Machado Garry is his second consecutive defeat, making it the first time in his professional tenure that he has had a losing streak totaling more than one bout. He ends 2025 with a yearly record of 0-2.
His UFC record now stands at 15-5 with one no-contest.
UFC Qatar: Arman Tsarukyan def. Dan Hooker
Arman Tsarukyan
Tsarukyan’s win over Hooker brought his current winning streak to five in a row. It was also the sixth victory of his time as a professional coming via submission, making it the first arm-triangle choke triumph of his combat sports career.
He has not lost a fight since coming up short to Mateusz Gamrot at UFC on ESPN 38 in 2022
Dan Hooker
Hooker’s loss to Tsarukyan snapped his previous three-bout winning streak. He is now 4-3 in his last seven matches. His appearance at UFC Qatar marked his first non-pay per view fight since UFC Fight Night 204 back in 2022.
