Tsarukyan vs. Hooker: Clash of Titans at UFC Fight Night
Lightweights Arman Tsarukyan and Dan Hooker will headline the UFC Fight Night event at the ABHA Arena in Doha, Qatar, this Saturday. The action will begin at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN+, with the prelims at 10 a.m. ET. Tsarukyan returns to the octagon after an injury that kept him out of a title opportunity at UFC 311. The fighter arrives with a streak of four consecutive victories. Hooker, for his part, is also looking to maintain his good momentum, boosted by three straight wins. In the co-main event, former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad will face the promising Ian Machado Garry. Muhammad seeks to regain his path to the title after losing to Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315. Garry, for his part, is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Carlos Prates in April.Below, we analyze the predictions of MMA analysts and commentators for the main events, along with the key bets.
I’m not sure Hooker can stop Tsarukyan’s takedowns. Tsarukyan will be the better grappler, but if Hooker can defend the takedown attempts, he will beat Tsarukyan, as he beat Mateusz Gamrot. Gamrot beat Tsarukyan, but MMA math doesn’t work. I expect Tsarukyan to work to get dominant positions on the ground better than Gamrot and win by decision.
Anthony Smith
Tsarukyan is going to grab Hooker, frustrate him, and win by decision. Hooker is good enough not to be finished, but Tsarukyan will stay on top of him the whole time. I think Hooker will be controlled on the ground for at least 18 minutes of a 25-minute fight.
Din Thomas
Betting Analysis
Parker predicts Tsarukyan’s victory by finish. Tsarukyan is the favorite with almost 5 to 1. Although Hooker is very tough and resilient, Tsarukyan has knockout power and elite wrestling. Tsarukyan is expected to take Hooker down and finish the fight.
I’m leaning towards Machado Garry in this fight. Della Maddalena wrote the book on how to deal with Belal. Now, if Belal can get inside and take Machado Garry down, he can win this fight. But some of Belal’s wins aren’t aging well. We were all very impressed when he beat Leon Edwards and Sean Brady, but those two just lost by knockout. And he lost to Della Maddalena, who was the new guy in the division.
Anthony Smith
It’s difficult, but I’m going with Belal because of his work ethic and determination. I think he’ll wear down Machado Garry by getting close to him and avoiding taking hard shots. It will be hard for him to do it sometimes, but when he gets inside, he’ll control him and win by decision. I think Belal will win two of the three rounds.
Din Thomas
Betting Analysis
Parker bets on Muhammad’s victory (+220). The fight will depend on whether Muhammad can take him to the ground. It is expected that Muhammad’s wrestling and pace will take down Machado Garry and win at least two of the three rounds. Machado Garry offers no submission threats to Muhammad when fighting from behind. If you prefer a safer option, consider the fight going the distance and include it in your parlay.
Parker’s Best Bets for the Rest of the Card
Light Heavyweight: Volkan Oezdemir vs. Alonzo MenifieldMenifield to win (+190). Betting on Menifield to pull off the upset. The fight would ideally stay standing, and Menifield has more impactful strikes. Menifield has won his last two fights by decision, demonstrating an improvement in his cardio and ability to win in the later rounds, while Oezdemir has shown a decline in his cardio in recent fights. If it goes past the first round, this favors Menifield.Men’s Bantamweight: Bekzat Almakhan vs. Aleksandre Topuria
Topuria to win (-125). Almakhan is coming off a first-round KO over Brad Katona, while Topuria, the brother of lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, recently won in his UFC debut. I like Topuria here because he has more ways to win. If Almakhan doesn’t take the first round, expect Topuria to use his boxing to close the distance and fight for the win.
