For the first time in its history, the UFC touched down in Qatar, as the Ali Bin Hamad al-Attiyah Arena played host to a number of solid performances and key matchups in a few contendership scenes. This is the third country in the Middle East to play host to the UFC,

Makhachev (28-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC) dominated Jack Della Maddalena (18-3 MMA, 8-1 UFC) to claim the welterweight belt this past Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York. Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC), who was lined up to challenge Makhachev for the lightweight title at UFC 311 before withdrawing, had high praise for his former foe.

Armenian fighter Arman Tsarukyan has touched down in Qatar ahead of his main-event clash this Saturday at UFC Fight Night, where he’ll face Australian contender Dan Hooker. The bout headlines the card and could position the winner as a serious challenger for the lightweight title currently held by Spanish-Georgian star Ilia Topuria.