Overview
- Arman Tsarukyan meets Dan Hooker in a five-round main event at the UFC’s Doha debut, calling the bout a must-win eliminator to reclaim his lightweight title path.
- Tsarukyan criticized Ilia Topuria’s matchmaking, vowed to choke out the unbeaten champion, and nearly crossed paths with him at a fighter hotel, underscoring an increasingly heated fight week.
- Paddy Pimblett argued Justin Gaethje and Tsarukyan cannot simply demand a title shot, said he plans to fight early next year, and drew backlash after a rankings bump that Hooker mocked as paving the way to a title bid.
- Tsarukyan said the UFC gave him a new deal and treats him as a future champion, yet he acknowledged the promotion may still choose Pimblett for Topuria’s next defense.
- With Islam Makhachev newly crowned at 170, potential challengers discussed include Kamaru Usman, Shavkat Rakhmonov, Michael Morales, Carlos Prates and Ian Machado Garry, as Garry faces Belal Muhammad in Qatar and publicly campaigns for the next title shot.