Statement(s) Made

With the UFC’s historical debut in Qatar, the main and co-main events drastically shifted the title picture in the lightweight & welterweight divisions, respectively. Without further ado, let’s get into it.

Arman Tsarukyan def. Dan Hooker at UFC Qatar via firstsportz.com

Arman Tsarukyan def. Dan Hooker

In the main event, Arman Tsarukyan made a statement, defeating Dan Hooker in a one-sided beatdown.

Heading into the contest, it was expected that Tsarukyan would win. Entering as the heavy favourite, Tsarukyan was already hailed as the lightweight division's number one contender, and his victory over Dan Hooker only cemented that.

Tsarukyan began the fight showing his skills on the feet, getting the better of the exchanges with Hooker, forcing him to adjust. As soon as Hooker started to form a strategy on the feet, Tsarukyan shot for the takedown. The majority of the first round was Tsarukyan, executing elite ground-and-pound, causing major swelling around Hooker's eye heading into the second round.

The second round began just as the first round finished. Attempting to escape from the bottom position, Hooker got caught in an arm-triangle, and within seconds was forced to tap, to the suffocating grip of Tsarukyan.

Tsarukyan is now in a prime position for a mega-title fight against Ilia Topuria. There really isn’t any fighter who is more deserving than Tsarukyan.

At the end of the day, it’s up to Dana White and the UFC, but the consensus around the MMA world is that it’s time for the two best lightweights to go at it.

Ilia Topuria versus Arman Tsarukyan needs to happen now.

Ian Machado Garry def Belal Muhammad via thesun.co.uk

Ian Machado Garry def. Belal Muhammad

In the co-main event, Ian Machado Garry backed up the talk, defeating former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad.

It’s now safe to say that Garry is the clear-cut number one contender at 170 pounds. He’s now compiled a resume with wins over Neil Magny, Geoff Neal, Michael Venom Page, Carlos Prates, and Belal Muhammad.

Garry entered the fight as a favourite, but the odds did not represent how close this fight was supposed to be.

Muhammad, a former champion, entered the contest with only two losses on his record, and his style was perfectly tailored to counter Garry.

As the fight began, Muhammad immediately put Garry on the back foot, attempting to get him against the cage for the takedown. However, this contest shone a light on Garry’s evolution.

He’s not just a striker anymore. He’s as well-rounded as one could be, and having successfully defended every single one of Muhammad’s takedown attempts, Garry brought the fight to his wheelhouse.

On the feet, Garry utilized oblique kicks and leg kicks to keep Muhammad at bay, and when Muhammad tried to close the distance, Garry caught him with sharp straights.

As the fight concluded, it was clear that Garry had done enough. It wasn’t the highlight knockout he promised. Nonetheless, it was a clinical exhibition of mixed martial arts, and Garry now finds himself in the spot he said he’d be in for the last five years.

Despite the welterweight division being as deep as ever, Garry’s resume is superior to those of his counterparts, Michael Morales, Carlos Prates, and Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Despite his close loss to Rakhmonov, he’s bounced back with two elite wins, and with Rakhmonov being sidelined for over a year, he’ll have to earn his way back to the title.

The UFC now shifts to its final pay-per-view of the year, UFC 323, the rematch between Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan. In the co-main event, the flyweight title is up for grabs between Alexandre Pantoja and Joshua Van. For an in-depth breakdown of the entire UFC 323 card, be sure to check out our page soon.