The UFC is putting on a spectacular Fight Night with two elite matchups at the top of the card. No. 1 Arman Tsarukyan takes on No. 6 Dan Hooker in a high-stakes Lightweight five-round Main Event contest. Also, No. 6 Ian Machado Garry battles former Welterweight Champion No. 2 Belal Muhammad in the co-main event. Both of these fights have significant championship implications for the future. This event is taking place at the Ali Bin Hamad al-Attiyah Arena in Al Rayyan, Qatar, and marks the UFC’s first event in the country.
Arman Tsarukyan is the No. 1-ranked lightweight contender in the world and is currently on a four-fight winning streak. But he is coming off quite the layoff, as he hasn’t fought since April 2024. Tsarukyan was scheduled to challenge Islam Makhachev for the 155-pound title at UFC 311 but had to withdraw from the contest due to injury. His latest victory came against former champion Charles Oliveira at UFC 300.
Tsarukyan is facing Hooker, who has won three consecutive bouts and is a prolific striker. Hooker hails from Auckland, New Zealand, and trains at the legendary MMA gym, City Kickboxing, led by Eugene Bareman. Hooker is attempting to extend his streak to four for the first time since 2018.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Tsarukyan is a massive -650 favorite with Hooker being a a+470 underdog. But in this contest, the odds don’t tell the whole story. This fight is a lot closer than the odds suggest. Hooker is five inches taller and has a three-inch reach advantage. Hooker is the better striker in this matchup, with an elite 78 percent takedown defense rate. Since Hooker has the physical advantage, it could present problems for Tsarukyan with his takedown attacks.
The co-main event is also an intriguing contest featuring two of the best fighters at 170 pounds: Machado Garry, and Muhammad. Muhammad is a former champion and is coming off his first loss since 2019. Even though Muhammad lost his last fight, he previously had an 11-fight unbeaten streak. Garry is 9-1 in the UFC and beat Carlos Prates in his previous bout in April. Garry is a -170 favorite with Muhammad being a +220 underdog.
How to Watch UFC Fight Night: Tsarukyan vs. Hooker
This week’s UFC Fight Night airs live on ESPN+ at 1:00 p.m. ET. The Prelims for this event begin at 10:00 a.m. ET.
Main Card
| Matchup: | Records: | Weight Class: | Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook: |
| #1 Arman Tsarukyan vs. #6 Dan Hooker Main Event | 22-3 (9-2 UFC) vs. 24-12 (14-8 UFC) | Lightweight | -650 vs. +470 |
| #2 Belal Muhammad vs. #6 Ian Machado Garry Co-Main Event | 24-4 (15-4 UFC) vs. 16-1 (9-1 UFC) | Welterweight | +220 vs. -270 |
| #9 Volkan Oezdemir vs. #14 Alonzo Menifield | 20-8 (8-7 UFC) vs. 17-5-1 (10-5-1 UFC) | Light Heavyweight | -225 vs. +185 |
| Jack Hermansson vs. Myktybek Orolbai | 24-9 (11-7 UFC) vs. 14-2-1 (3-1 UFC) | Welterweight | +205 vs. -250 |
| #6 Waldo Cortes Acosta vs. #7 Serghei Spivac | 15-2 (8-2 UFC) vs. 14-1 (3-1 UFC) | Heavyweight | -135 vs. +114 |
| #11 Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Kyoji Horiguchi | 17-2 (6-1 UFC) vs. 34-5 (7-1 UFC) | Flyweight | -218 vs. +180 |
Prelims
| Matchup: | Records: | Weight Class: | Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook: |
| Bogdan Grad vs. Luke Riley | 15-3 (1-1 UFC) vs. 11-0 | Featherweight | +210 vs. -258 |
| Abdul Rakhman Yakhyaev vs. Rafael Cerquiera | 7-0 vs. 11-3 (0-3 UFC) | Light Heavyweight | -1650 vs. +950 |
| #7 Alex Perez vs. #8 Asu Almabayev | 25-9 (7-5 UFC) vs. 22-3 (5-1 UFC) | Flyweight | +180 vs. -218 |
| Bekzat Almakhan vs. Aleksandre Topuria | 12-2 (1-1 UFC) vs. 6-1 (1-0 UFC) | Bantamweight | +110 vs. -130 |
| Ismail Naurdiev vs. Ryan Loder | 24-8 (3-3 UFC) vs. 8-2 (1-1 UFC) | Middleweight | -142 vs. +120 |
| Nurullo Aliev vs. Shem Rock | 10-0 (2-0 UFC) vs. 12-1-1 | Lightweight | -290 vs. +235 |
| Nicolas Dalby vs. Saygid Izagakhmaev | 23-6-1 (7-5-1 UFC) vs. 22-2 | Welterweight | +275 vs. -345 |
| Marek Bujlo vs. Denzel Freeman | 6-0 vs. 6-1 | Heavyweight | +170 vs. -205 |
