Apr 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Arman Tsarukyan during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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UFC Qatar: Arman Tsarukyan And Belal Muhammad Back In Action This November!

Apr 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Arman Tsarukyan during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The UFC is heading back to the Middle East, and they are bringing some serious firepower with them. Qatar gets ready to host a stacked card on November 22nd featuring fighters hungry to prove themselves after lengthy layoffs. Names like Arman Tsarukyan and Belal Muhammad will grace this card.

Dana White recently listed off two of the main fights for UFC Qatar. It will be headlined by Arman Tsarukyan taking on Dan Hooker in what should be an absolute banger. But that’s not all. The co-main event features former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad squaring off against the rising star Ian Machado Garry in a fight that basically serves as a title eliminator.

Arman Tsarukyan Gets Another Shot At Climbing The Mountain

Arman Tsarukyan has been on an absolute tear through the lightweight division. The Armenian fighter currently sits at #2 (basically #1 as Islam Makhachev is #1) in the official UFC rankings. Since losing a decision to Mateusz Gamrot back in June 2022, Tsarukyan has rattled off four straight wins against elite competition. He’s beaten guys like Beneil Dariush and Charles Oliveira, which is basically a who’s who of lightweight killers. That win over Oliveira was supposed to earn him a title shot against Islam Makhachev at UFC 311.

Less than two days before he was set to fight Makhachev for the belt, a back injury forced him out of the fight. Tsarukyan hasn’t competed in MMA since April 2024, which means he’ll have been out for over a year and a half by the time he steps into the cage in Qatar.

🚨 BREAKING: DANA WHITE ANNOUNCES FIGHTS FOR #UFCQatar

– Arman Tsarukyan vs Dan Hooker (main-event)
– Belal Muhammad vs Ian Garry (co-main event) pic.twitter.com/SXg0bHefHS
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 1, 2025

His opponent Dan Hooker is #6 and also coming off a lengthy layoff due to hand injuries. Hooker last fought in August 2024 when he beat Gamrot, extending his winning streak to three fights after going through a rough patch where he went one and four against top competition. Add in that both these guys don’t like each other and fans have a recipe for an awesome fight.

Belal Muhammad Looks To Bounce Back From Title Loss

Meanwhile, the co-main event features some serious welterweight talent. Belal Muhammad will be fighting for the first time since losing his championship to Jack Della Maddalena back in May. That loss ended a ridiculous eleven-fight winning streak for Muhammad. He has been one of the most consistent fighters in the division for years. So fans know he’s itching to get back in there and start another run toward gold.

His opponent Ian Machado Garry presents a serious challenge though. The Irish fighter bounced back from the first loss of his career by defeating Carlos Prates in April. That loss came against Shavkat Rakhmonov in December last year. But make no mistake, Garry is incredibly talented and dangerous.

This fight matters huge for both guys because the winner will have a strong argument for a title shot. They would be fighting for a crack at whoever wins the UFC 322 bout between Jack Della Maddalena and Islam Makhachev, who vacated his lightweight championship to move up and challenge for the 170-pound belt. That fight happens just one week before UFC Qatar, so the timing works out perfectly!

(Image Credit: Mark J. Rebilas – Imagn Images)

Arman Tsarukyan

Belal Muhammad

Dan Hooker

Dana White

Ian Garry

UFC Qatar

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!