UFC Fight Night 265: Tsarukyan vs. Hooker | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Tito Wordsmith
- May 23
- 2 min read
Introduction
UFC Fight Night 265: Tsarukyan vs. Hooker took place on November 22, 2025 at the ABHA Arena in Doha, Qatar. This historic event marked the UFC’s debut in Qatar, making it the third country in the Middle East to host the promotion after the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The lightweight main event featured No. 2-ranked Arman Tsarukyan against No. 6-ranked Dan Hooker in a pivotal bout with title implications.
Tsarukyan delivered a suffocating performance, locking in an arm-triangle choke at 3:34 of round two to submit Hooker and earn Performance of the Night honors. Ian Machado Garry outpointed former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) in the co-main, extending Belal’s losing skid. The card was loaded with first-round finishes: Cortes-Acosta KO’d Gaziev in 82 seconds (PoN), Oezdemir KO’d Menifield, Orolbai KO’d Hermansson, and Horiguchi earned a third-round technical submission of Ulanbekov (PoN). The sold-out arena witnessed a night of violent finishes.
Quick Stats
📍 Venue: ABHA Arena, Doha, Qatar | Nov 22, 2025 | UFC’s DEBUT IN QATAR | 3rd Middle East country
✅ Result: Arman Tsarukyan def. Dan Hooker via Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) (Round 2, 3:34)
⭐ Notable: UFC’s first event in Qatar | Tsarukyan dominant grappling clinic (PoN) | Garry UD Muhammad (Belal losing skid, 30-27 x2) | Cortes-Acosta KO Gaziev R1, 1:22 (PoN) | Oezdemir KO Menifield R1 | Orolbai KO Hermansson R1 | Horiguchi Tech Sub Ulanbekov R3 (PoN) | Riley KO Grad R2 (PoN) | Yakhyaev Sub R1, 0:33 | Almabayev Sub Perez R3 | 4 PoN, no FotN
Full Results
Arman Tsarukyan def. Dan Hooker — Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) (Round 2, 3:34) | Dominant grappling clinic | PoN
Ian Machado Garry def. Belal Muhammad — UD (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) R3; Volkan Oezdemir def. Alonzo Menifield — KO (Knee + Punches) R1, 1:27; Myktybek Orolbai def. Jack Hermansson — KO (Punch) R1, 2:46; Waldo Cortes-Acosta def. Shamil Gaziev — KO (Punch) R1, 1:22 (PoN); Kyoji Horiguchi def. Tagir Ulanbekov — Technical Sub (RNC) R3, 2:18 (PoN); Luke Riley def. Bogdan Grad — KO (Punches) R2, 0:30 (PoN); Nicolas Dalby def. Saygid Izagakhmaev — SD R3; Asu Almabayev def. Alex Perez — Sub (Guillotine) R3; Abdul-Rakhman Yakhyaev def. Raffael Cerqueira — Sub (RNC) R1, 0:33; Denzel Freeman def. Marek Bujlo — UD
Legacy & Impact
UFC Qatar was a landmark event — the promotion’s debut in a new country delivered a spectacular card loaded with finishes. Tsarukyan’s methodical dismantling of Hooker via arm-triangle choke confirmed his status as the clear next lightweight title challenger. Garry’s shutout of former champion Muhammad was a statement performance, while Belal’s continued slide raised serious questions about his future. The night featured multiple devastating first-round KOs from Cortes-Acosta, Oezdemir, and Orolbai, making this one of the most violent Fight Night cards of the year. FN 265 was the final Fight Night event of 2025.
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