In the main event, a rematch between the featherweight champion, Alexander Volkanovski and challenger, Diego Lopes. In the co-main event, top ranked lightweights, Dan Hooker and Benoit Saint-Denis, thoroughly entertained the crowd in a spirited scrap. This 13-fight card also featured three Road to UFC 4 tournament finales on the early prelims. The five-fight main card proved entertaining with three finishes and the Fight of the Night. A few ranked fighters and an unranked fighter to matchup on this edition of Losers matchmaker.

Diego Lopes

Alexander Volkanovski braved a couple flash-knockdowns and ultimately put on a clinic against Diego Lopes on the way to a unanimous decision victory. Diego had just fought Volk in April of 2025 following a win over Brian Ortega. Lopes triggered a rematch with his spectacular second round finish of the streaking Jean Silva in September. Diego is now 6-3 with the UFC with his other loss coming to Movsar Evloev in 2023. An important factor to consider for Diego’s next fight is that he will be on the shelf for a while. Lopes limped out of the octagon heavily helped by his coaches and first reports following the bout reveal Diego may have broken both feet.

With that in mind, Diego’s next fight should be against Aljamain Sterling. Aljamain is ranked at #5 but he last fought in August 2025 and defeated Brian Ortega. So, timing could potentially be a bit of an issue. But Sterling also dropped a unanimous decision against Evolev, and is the former UFC bantamweight champ. It’d be a great fight to get Diego reestablished within the division after losing twice to the champ. Depending how long Lopes is out, it may or may not make sense.

Lopes’s next fight: Aljamain Sterling 

Dan Hooker

Benoit Saint-Denis outpaced and melted Dan Hooker in the co main event of UFC 325 on Saturday. #8 ranked BSD, ended up scoring a late second round TKO as his pace proved just too much for the #6 ranked lightweight. Hooker falls to 14-10 in the UFC and is now on a 2-fight skid following a 3-fight win streak.

Rough outcome for Hooker here as all of his momentum has just been whisked away by that beating BSD put on him. Hooker had the bones of a good pre-fight build-up with the promotion’s new golden boy, Paddy Pimblett. The two had been exchanging shots on social media for some time and Pimblett just dropped his chance at the Interim Lightweight strap at UFC 324 just a week prior. Tough luck, as there was definitely a scenario where Hooker lost to BSD but could still draw Paddy (see UFC 324 Losers). Instead, Hooker should look to take on another fighter that suffered a finish loss Saturday, Rafael Fiziev. Rafael is ranked at #9 and the two could easily headline a fight night card. If a fight like that goes the distance, it’d likely be a fight of the year candidate.

Hooker’s next fight: Rafael Fiziev

Rafael Fiziev

Mauricio Ruffy’s rangy dynamic striking ruled supreme against Rafael Fiziev on Saturday. Ruffy wobbled and mercilessly finished Fiziev late in the second round to earn a performance bonus. The loss marks only the second time that Rafael has been stopped via strikes within his professional MMA career. Fiziev is now 7-5 in the UFC and has lost four of his last five fights. Two decisions to Justin Gaethje, a knee injury in his fight with Mateusz Gamrot and the result on Saturday against Ruffy. Fiziev’s only win the 5-fight stretch came thwarting a young, hungry, Ignacio Bahamondes, in June of last year. A very legitimate victory proving he is in that elite (top 10) echelon.

Rafael was slated to take on a #3 ranked, Charles Oliveria, following that win but suffered an injury, forcing the bout to be cancelled. Big opportunity missed there as Charles has now drawn Max Holloway later this year- and then the outcome for Rafael on Saturday against the #14 ranked lightweight.

With all this in mind, Fiziev’s next fight should be against Dan Hooker. Timing would match up and both guys are now in very similar positions, tested, early to mid-thirties, strikers, fan favorites and in desperate need of an ‘elite’ win. Both were finished in a similar amount of time so maybe recovery lengths will be similar as well.

Fiziev’s next fight: Dan Hooker 

Tai Tuivasa

Tallison Teixiera weathered several thunderous rallies from an exhausted Tai Tuivasa on the way to unanimous decision victory on Saturday.  Tuivasa had not fought since August of 2024. Tai’s losing streak grows to six with the heavyweight fighter now boasting a UFC record of 8-9. This is a very tough spot for “Bam Bam” to be in especially coming of an extended hiatus, there were multiple points during the fight where his gas tank was an issue.

Tai’s quite possibly too popular for an axe from the promotion. But make no mistake, the situation is currently dire for Tai. Two more losses, max, and he’s likely released.

The next bout for Tai should be against Ryan Spann. Spann has a similar story/trajectory as Tuivasa, though he is 36 instead of 32. Spann is 9-6 with the UFC and an early Contender Series veteran. Ryan, a long-time light heavyweight, moved up to heavyweight in 2025 and 1-1 since the move. Spann was finished in the second round by a red-hot Waldo Cores-Acosta last year (who went 4-1 in 2025). Spann submitted Lukasz Brzeski in the first round of the pair’s bout in July but withdrew from his upcoming fight against Rizivan Kuniev on February 7th.

Excellent matchup to target here as Spann is well known but isn’t ranked within the division. Heavyweight always has been (and will be) shallow, so Ryan isn’t far from having a number next to his name. This fight has feature prelim written all over it with the winner drawing a ranked fighter.

Tuivasa’s next fight: Ryan Spann

Jamie Mullarkey

Quillan Salkilld made quick work of Jamie Mullarkey, submitting him in the first round to kick off UFC 325’s main card on Saturday. The rear naked choke earned Quillan Salkilld a performance bonus. Mullarkey wasn’t even the original opponent, but filled in on short notice after the original, Rongzhu, withdrew. Mullarkey valiantly answered the call against a 26-year-old, 11-1 fighter, who is 4-0 with the UFC. 31-year-old Mullarkey is now 2-4 in his last six fights. Jamie has taken on some real fighters with his losses coming to Muhammad Naimov, Nasrat Haqparast and Mauricio Ruffy in that stretch.

Mullarkey’s next fight should be against Jai Herbert. Jai was last in action agaisnt Chris Padilla in March of 2025, dropping a split decision. Herbert hasn’t fought since then and is 2-3-1 in his last six bouts. Very similar to Mullarkey, he’s faced stiff competition in the span, losing to now lightweight champ. Illia Topuria, Fares Ziam and his majority draw coming against L’udovit Klein. Solid matchup here, tough-nosed, just-outside the ranking’s fighters- 6-7 with the promotion vs. 3-5-1.

Mullarkey’s next fight: Jai Herbert or Drew Dober

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The #8-ranked lightweight, however, had the edge in momentum, having won his last two fights. Hooker, for his part, was looking to bounce back from a loss to Arman Tsarukyan in the fall.

Saint-Denis began shooting takedowns to start the opening frame as Hooker defended well. Hooker attempted a high head kick that was blocked, before Benoit attempted another takedown. Hooker reversed position and returned to the center of the cage, a good left hand landed for Saint-Denis, who forced the fight to the clinch moments later. A front kick up the middle snapped back the head of Saint-Denis as Hooker seemed to be finding a rhythm on the feet. Sensing danger, Saint-Denis landed a judo throw that saw him end up in north-south position. Returning to his feet with a minute left in the round, Hooker landed a good left hand on the inside before getting taken down for the third time in the round. Saint-Denis landed some good ground and pound putting a stamp on the first five minutes of action.

In the second, Saint-Denis immediately forced the fight to the fence as Hooker attempted a guillotine. Scrambling out of trouble, Benoit was able to secure top control and land multiple damaging 12-6 elbows that connected clean. Moving to side control, Saint-Denis threatened an arm triangle as Hooker seemed to be fading away. With two minutes left in the round Benoit was in complete control. Landing some more elbows on top, Hooker was now leaking blood from his eyes while fully mounted. Veteran referee Herb Dean was taking a close look at the action as Hooker absorbed another 25 consecutive strikes before the contest was stopped. A bloodbath between two of the best lightweights on the roster, Benoit Saint-Denis closed the show in impressive fashion.

Stopping “The Hangman” in his own country, Saint-Denis put on a performance fight fans won’t soon forget. In his post fight interview, the French standout and former special forces operator expressed interest in the BMF title. Saint-Denis has the most finishes on the roster since 2021 (9) and has as good of claim to BMF title contention as anyone in the division.

Official Result: Benoit Saint-Denis def. Dan Hooker by TKO, Round 2, 4:45

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The former French Special Forces soldier returns to the Octagon at UFC 325 just two months after his stunning 16-second KO of Beneil Dariush and right into a matchup against #6-ranked Dan Hooker.

“We were pretty surprised by the timing of the fight, but knowing it’s next to his country made it clearer why they wanted him to fight there,” BSD said during the card’s media day this week. “I had already in my mind put the switch back on, because BSD and Dan Hooker, you need no promotion. It’s gonna be a scrap.”

The fight has major implications in the lightweight division, which has been stagnant with similar names at the top. Saint-Denis has slowly risen through the ranks impressively, with devastating finishes behind him. If Saint-Denis were to win, he would be closing in on a big title opportunity.

“It’s a huge fight, I do expect that the winner of this fight is gonna be top 5.”

Saint-Denis continued, “Yeah, of course. I’m interested in the two most violent belts of the UFC, which in my mind are the lightweight undisputed title and the BMF.”

After hearing Hooker talk about his lack of knockout power, the Frenchmen reminded everyone why he is in the co-main event of UFC 325.

“He’s gonna find out Saturday. I don’t know how many knockouts he has in the UFC, but I have four with an 100% finish rate. I think he knows it’s gonna be something, and I think I will fight the best version of him.”

Even though it came just two months after his last fight, he couldn’t pass up the chance to climb the ranks against an exciting opponent like Hooker. Saint-Denis sees no purpose in trash talk for this fight. He feels the fight inside the cage will weigh heavier than anything the two could say to each other.

“When we both had the offer, we had no doubt. It’s also a sport of opportunity and timing, so let’s go.”

“I expect respect, and he knows it’s gonna be a battle inside the Octagon, so nothing special. Just let’s go, and I want to fight the best version of him. Same for me, so let’s see who’s gonna be the winner.”

Watch the entire media day scrum with Benoit Saint-Denis above. He challenges Dan Hooker in the co-main event at UFC 325 on Saturday night.

The post Benoit Saint-Denis Feels You Need “No Promotion” For Fight With Dan Hooker: “It’s Gonna Be a Scrap” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Facing Benoit St-Denis at UFC 325 in Sydney, “The Hangman” admitted that he respects his latest opponent for doing the opposite: taking some hard fights, losing, and dusting himself off.

“When he got matched with [Dustin] Poirier, France is a huge market for the UFC, and you could see they were pushing him a bit quick, they were pushing BSD a bit quick, like rushing him,” Hooker (24-13) stated during the UFC 325 media day. “And then they put him in the deep end with a guy like Dustin Poirier.”

Hooker caught that fight, and BSD’s follow-up with Renato Moicano, another high-profile loss. It’s what happened after that that stood out.

“The amount of guys I’ve seen come through during the years where, they got brought in by the UFC, they get nice cherry picked fights because they want to build something in that market, they reach the top end, the ranked fighters, the guys at the higher end of the division, and then you never see them again.”

“So he did take that loss to Poirier, and Moicano, and now he’s back,” continued Hooker. “That is something I respect. I respect that because as a guy myself who has picked myself back up the canvas, and had a couple losses and then got back on a win streak, had a couple of losses, I know how tough how tough that is. I now how much character you need as a human to pick yourself back up off the mat.”

Having been through his own trials and tribulations, Hooker added that “a guy that can take those two loses, hard losses too, finish losses, and then pick himself back up and get back on a win streak, I tip my hat.”

After his loss to Arman Tsarukyan last year, Hooker seemed to resign himself to never fighting for UFC gold. However, months removed, it appears he’s changed his tune somewhat, saying this week to “take it with a grain of salt.”

“I’m twelve hours after getting my ass kicked, I’m waking up the next day, and that’s just the frame of mind I was in at the moment.” Hooker admits that after the loss, he expected to fight down in the rankings several times. “But then they gave me BSD who’s ranked eighth in the division, on a win streak. You get past BSD, you’re not fighting anyone lower than him again. You get past BSD, you’re back in the mix.”

Watch the full UFC 325 media day appearance by Dan Hooker above.

The post Dan Hooker Tips His Hat to BSD Ahead of UFC 325 appeared first on Cageside Press.

In the co-main event spot, Dan Hooker (24-13) will be fighting close to home when he takes on France’s Benoit Saint-Denis (16-3, 1NC). Rafael Fiziev (13-4), meanwhile, takes on Mauricio Ruffy (12-2) in a second promising match-up at 155lbs.

Both bouts were announced during Saturday night’s UFC 323 broadcast. UFC 325 takes place in Sydney, Australia at the Qudos Bank Arena on February 1, 2026 (locally, January 31 in North America).

Hooker, a.k.a. “The Hangman,” hails from nearby New Zealand and trains out of the famed City Kickboxing. Hooker was just seen in the main event of UFC Qatar last month, where he was submitted by #1-ranked lightweight Arman Tsarukyan.

Prior to the loss to Tsarukyan, Hooker had compiled a three-fight win streak.

Benoit Saint-Denis was last in action at UFC 322 in New York, where he knocked out Beneil Dariush, earning a Performance of the Night bonus in the process.

Rafael Fiziev snapped a three-fight skid in June, when he defeated Ignacio Bahamondes. Two of those losses, it’s worth noting, came to current lightweight contender and former interim champ Justin Gaethje.

Brazil’s Ruffy suffered the first loss of his UFC tenue last time out, coincidentally losing to Benoit Saint-Denis.

Dan Hooker sits at #6 in the lightweight division, Saint-Denis at #8, while Fiziev is #9 and Ruffy #14.

UFC 325 is headlined by a featherweight title fight, as Alexander Volkanovski throws down with Diego Lopes for the second time. A heavyweight match-up between Tai Tuivasa and Tallison Teixeira is also scheduled.

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Dan Hooker

Arman Tsarukyan battered and submitted Dan Hooker in the second round of their fight in the main event on Saturday. With the loss, Dan now falls to 14-9 under the UFC banner. The loss snapped a three-fight winning streak for Hooker which included a body kick finish to Claudio Puelles and a pair of split decisions opposite of Jalin Turner and Mateusz Gamrot.

A good next fight for Hooker, would be giving him the man who he asked for, Renato Moicano. The Brazilian is currently ranked at #10 within the division. Renato is 12-7 within the UFC and is currently riding a two-fight losing streak. Moicano stepped in on short notice and was quickly submitted by champion, Islam Makhachev back in January. In June, Renato took on Beneil Dariush and lost a unanimous decision. These two rangy strikers haven’t competed against each other yet and with their vocal and brash personalities this matchup would surely offer a fun fight week and bout for fans. Both were recently thwarted in top ranked fights. Could easily see these two fan favorites fighting on a pay per view card, a main event for an APEX card or a feature prelim on a PPV card.

Hooker’s next fight: Renato Moicano 

Belal Muhammad

Ian Garry out styled and out struck Belal Muhammad on the way to a clean unanimous decision victory in the co main event of UFC Quatar on Saturday. Belal has now lost two in a row- after defeating Leon Edwards and capturing the welterweight strap last July. 37-year-old Belal is now 15-5, 1 NC under the UFC promotional banner. Could really see Belal getting a young fresh face to take on in his next bout.

This is one that could go either way. Belal could draw a lot of different fighters in his next bout. Two of the most likely would-be #11 Gabriel Bonfim or #13 Colby Covington. It’s doubtful that Belal draws a name like #8 Kamaru Usman or #4 Shavkat Rakhmonov.

There aren’t many fighters that Covington doesn’t have bad blood with and Belal is no exception. With their similar fight styles and the proper buildup/hype this fight could be massive for the division even if, at least on paper, a bit irrelevant. Chaos turns 38 early next year and has lost three of his last four, most recently a doctor’s stoppage at the hands of Joaquin Buckley last December.

Bonfim offers a good backup option as he’s is 6-1 within the UFC and is coming off a nasty KO against Randy Brown earlier this month, in his first UFC main event.  Bonfim has a win over Stephen Thompson and has been steadily climbing the rankings.

Prediction here is that Belal will get a fresh face- could really see a fight against Colby materializing.

Muhammad’s next fight: Colby Covington or Vicente Luque

Alonzo Menifield

Volkan Oezdemir showed fans why they call him ‘No Time’ as he KO’d Alonzo Menifield in less than 90 seconds. Meniefield is now 10-6-1 with the UFC. The 38-year-old is 2-3 in his last five fights as the Contender Series alum has seen a notable step up in competition recently. Volkan entered the fight ranked at #9 in the light heavyweight division while Alonzo was ranked at #14.

Menifield should take on Mingyang Zhang in his next fight. Zhang is 3-1 with the UFC since being signed in 2024. Mingyang scored three first round finishes, securing three bonuses in his first three UFC fights against Brendson Ribeiro, Ozzy Diaz and Anthony Smith. In his most recent fight however, against Johnny Walker, Zhang was stopped in the second round of his first UFC main event. That fight was back in August so the timing wouldn’t matchup exactly, but this is the fight to make right now. Both guys are coming off of being finished and Zhang is currently ranked at #15 within the division. This is a guaranteed exciting fight with a KO finish being extremely likely. Winner could potentially crack top 10 while loser would slide out of the rankings.

Menifield’s next fight: Mingyang Zhang 

Jack Hermansson

Myktybek Orolbai took less than a round to put Jack Hermansson out cold on the main card of UFC Qatar on Saturday. Hermansson, once a top ranked middleweight, was competing in his first bout at welterweight- what an unpleasant welcome. The Joker has now lost three of his last four fights and has been stopped in all three of those losses. The Joker’s only victory in some 3.5 years came against Joe Pyfer via unanimous decision in February of 2024.  Jack is now 11-8 with the UFC.

Good matchup for Jack would be against Vicente Luque or Li Jingliang. Both fighters are available and both hold solid name values and offer good litmus tests for the Swedish fighter.

Vicente was last in action back in October when he welcomed Joel Alvarez up from the lightweight division. Luque lost a unanimous decision and has now lost three of his last four. Vicente was finished twice in that four fight stretch and is 16-8 in the UFC.

Li Jingliang last fought in August of last year when he was flatlined against Carlos Prates. Jingliang has also lost three of his last four and been finished twice in that span. Leaning toward Jingliang as he has been out of action for a while and is likely looking to reestablish himself as well. It would be an easy fight for fans to get behind as well and could fit on a lot of fight cards.

Hermansson’s next fight: Li Jingliang or Vicente Luque

Shamil Gaziev

Waldo Cortes-Acosta took advantage of a short notice opportunity and destroyed Shamil Gaziev inside of a round on Saturday. Cortes-Acosta had just competed on November 1st, so this was a fast and fruitful turn around for him. The loss snapped a two-fight win streak for Gaziev. Shamil, a 2023 Contender Series alum, is now 3-2 under the UFC banner. Shamil entered the fight ranked at #11 while Waldo Cortes Acosta was ranked at #6.

Easy one to book here. This bout, which was originally booked as Gaziev vs Serghei Spivac was referenced in a previous losers article. Even though the original matchup fell apart, after Spivac fell ill, the outcome and matchup produced as a result, is perfect. Spivac was ranked at #7 while Ante Delija is currently ranked at #10. This fight makes too much sense for the division at this point and both fighters would have similar recovery times and are close in the rankings.

Gaziev’s next fight: Ante Delija 

Tagir Ulanbekov

Kyoji Horiguchi choked out Tagir Ulanbekov early in the final round of their bout on Saturday. Tagir entered the fight ranked at #11 within the flyweight division while Horiguchi was unranked within the UFC (but a former UFC flyweight title challenger, Bellator, and RIZIN champion). Ulanbekov is now 6-2 in the UFC.

Good next fight for Tagir would be a matchup against Alex Perez.  Perez is currently ranked at #7 within the division and just lost to the #9 ranked Asu Almabayev on Saturday. That fight was on the undercard of UFC Qatar as Asu submitted Alex early in the third round via guillotine choke.  Perez, a former UFC flyweight title challenger himself, has lost three of his last four bouts. Alex was also scheduled to take on Tagir back in June of last year. The fight fell through as both fighters rebooked with Perez drawing Tatsuro Taira and Ulanbekov taking on Clayton Carpenter, eventually (it was supposed to be Joshua Van, but Ulanbekov missed weight). Perez is 0-2 since that booking while Tagir is 2-1. Rebooking this bout makes sense as Perez faced ranked guys while Ulanbekov did not during this time period.

The bout would be very important for the 125lbs. division.

Ulanbekov’s next fight: Alex Perez

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Tsarukyan was to have faced Islam Makhachev at UFC 311, only to pull out of the fight during Fight Week due to a back injury. He would serve as the back-up fighter at UFC 317, but his services were not required.

Kicks were exchanged early and often between Tsarukyan and Hooker, who had featured in a tense weigh-off scene underscored by a headbutt by Tsarukyan during the final face-off. Just past a minute in, Arman clinched up, putting Hooker on the fence and looking for a way to take the taller man down. Hooker would escape, but ate a nasty knee to the head on exit. The New Zealand native then fanned on a head kick. Tsarukyan, meanwhile, was showing solid accuracy with his hands.

Near the midway mark, Hooker jumped a guillotine, but didn’t have it and wound up with Tsarukyan on top, in side control. In the final seconds of the round, still on top, Tsarukyan would sneak in some ground n’ pound, while sandpapering Hooker with his elbow.

Hooker was showing some swelling around one eye after the opening round, likely from the knee he ate midway through round one. And surprisingly, after it backfired in round one, Hooker again went after a guillotine, and again the outcome was Tsarukyan coming out on top. A nifty sequence, with Tsarukyan essentially doing an alligator roll to get top position.

This time, there was nearly four minutes on the clock. Tsarukyan had all the time in the world to work, and managed to mix in some heavy ground n’ pound, punches and elbows, while posturing up. Hooker covered up, and survived the initial barrage. Moving into half-guard came next for Tsarukyan, with mount tantalizingly close at hand. Instead, Arman locked up an arm-triangle choke, which, after a slight adjustment, was in tight, forcing Hooker to tap!

Already ranked #1 at 155lbs in the UFC, Arman Tsarukyan cemented his position at UFC Qatar.

Official Result: Arman Tsarukyan def. Dan Hooker by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 2, 3:34

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UFC Qatar also sees a key welterweight fight in the co-main event slot, as Ian Machado Garry faces off against ex-champ and number one ranked Belal Muhammad.

Both fights carry possible title implications with them, though only Tsarukyan vs. Hooker has been called a number one contender’s fight. Of course, such designations, even when labelled by the UFC’s higher ups, never seem to be set in stone.

Stepping in on short notice at UFC Qatar is Waldo Cortes-Acosta, replacing Serghei Spivac with all of three day’s notice.

Weigh-ins for UFC Qatar take place on Friday morning local time. Results can be found below.

UFC Qatar: Tsarukyan vs. Hooker Weigh-In Results

Main card

Lightweight: Arman Tsarukyan (156) vs. Dan Hooker (155)
Welterweight: Belal Muhammad (171) vs. Ian Machado Garry (170)
Light Heavyweight: Volkan Oezdemir (206) vs. Alonzo Menifield (206)
Welterweight: Jack Hermansson (170.5) vs. Myktybek Orolbai (170)
Heavyweight: Waldo Cortes-Acosta (265) vs. Shamil Gaziev (262)
Flyweight: Tagir Ulanbekov (125.5) vs. Kyoji Horiguchi (125.5)

Preliminary card

Featherweight: Bogdan Grad (145.5) vs. Luke Riley (145.5)
Welterweight: Nicolas Dalby (170.5) vs. Saygid Izagakhmaev (170)
Flyweight: Alex Perez (126) vs. Asu Almabayev (125.5)
Light Heavyweight: Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev (205) vs. Rafael Cerqueira (204)
Bantamweight: Bekzat Almakhan (136) vs. Aleksandre Topuria (135.5)
Middleweight: Ismail Naurdiev (185) vs. Ryan Loder (185)
Lightweight: Nurullo Aliev (155) vs. Shaqueme Rock (156)
Heavyweight: Marek Bujło (256.5) vs. Denzel Freeman (260)

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“Obviously we don’t like each other, but a lot of that is just fading away as we draw closer,” Hooker (24-12) stated during Wednesday’s media day, ahead of the promotion’s debut in Doha, Qatar. “I’m just excited for the event, I’m excited for the moment, I’m excited to get out there and just take it from him. He’s the number one contender, he’s the next in line for the title shot. I’m going out there to steal it, I’m going out there to rope this man.”

Hooker has stated that he wanted the toughest road possible to a title shot. With Tsarukyan ranked #1 in the division, and with “The Hangman” coming off a Fight of the Night win over Mateusz Gamrot, he may have got it.

That Gamrot fight, however, came over a year ago. Now Hooker is looking to display some improvements to his game. “Just due to injuries, I haven’t been able to showcase them. But I’ve still been in the gym getting better and plugging holes, definitely” he added.

With a win over Tsarukyan this Saturday, Dan Hooker believes he’ll earn that title shot. The question is, for which title? There’s the lightweight title, held by Ilia Topuria, and the BMF title, held by Max Holloway. Both are former featherweights competing at 155lbs these days.

“I completely forgot about the BMF!” exclaimed Hooker, serious or not. “Obviously you get your arm raised against Arman, you’re getting a title shot. That’s the beauty of there being two titles in that division. I beat Arman, I can walk in and fight for the undisputed or the BMF title. But it’ll be one of those fights.”

Of course, with the latest rankings update, Paddy Pimblett is now in the top five of the UFC’s lightweight division. Which had Hooker question who the undisputed lightweight title shot might go to next. “How? They must be giving him [Pimblett] a title shot. They must be cherry picking him a title shot,” he stated. As far as the rankings go, he’s not putting too much faith in them. “It is what it is. They’re just numbers.”

Watch the full UFC Qatar media day appearance by Dan Hooker above.

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The UFC makes its debut in Qatar care of a Fight Night event scheduled for the Ali Bin Hamad al-Attiyah Arena on November 22, 2025. On Wednesday, UFC President and CEO Dana White announced some big fights for the show, including the headliner: that will see lightweight contenders Arman Tsarukyan (22-3) and Dan Hooker (24-12) face off.

Tsarukyan was expected to fight Islam Makhachev for 155lb gold earlier this year, only to pull out last minute due to a back injury, much to the annoyance of the UFC. That seems to have dropped the Armenian down a spot or two, with Paddy Pimblett or Justin Gaethje looking more likely to be Ilia Topuria’s first title defense.

Having last competed in April of 2025, Tsarukyan has won four straight, including victories over Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush. He did serve as a back-up fighter for UFC 317 in July, but was not needed.

Hooker has also been out for over a year, last having fought (and won) against Matuesz Gamrot in August of 2024 at UFC 305. “The Hangman” has won his last three bouts.

As for the welterweight showdown announced on Wednesday for UFC Qatar, that will see ex-champ Belal Muhmmad (24-4, 1NC) looking to bounce back from the loss of his title to Jack Della Maddalena. He’ll be taking on Irish star Ian Machado Garry (16-1), whose only loss to date has come against Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Garry got back in the win column earlier this year with a victory over Carlos Prates. He then served as a back-up fighter for Muhammad vs. JDM.

UFC Qatar currently features the following reported match-ups:

• Arman Tsarukyan vs. Dan Hooker
• Belal Muhammad vs. Ian Machado Garry
• Alex Perez vs. Asu Almabayev
• Jan Błachowicz vs. Bogdan Guskov
• Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev vs. Rafael Cerqueira
• Bekzat Almakhan vs. Aleksandre Topuria
• Felipe Lima vs. Daniel Marcos
• Serghei Spivac vs. Shamil Gaziev
• Marek Bujło vs. Denzel Freeman
• Ismail Naurdiev vs. Ryan Loder
• Jack Hermansson vs. Myktybek Orolbai

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