The UFC’s second-ever trip to Qatar comes with a stacked card. The event is set for November 21 at the ABHA Arena in Doha, with the promotion revealing an exciting lineup. In the main event, Jiri Prochazka will return to action against Navajo Stirling in a highly anticipated light heavyweight clash.
Meanwhile, the co-main event will see Aljamain Sterling take on Kevin Vallejos in a featherweight showdown. The buzz around Prochazka’s return has been building for some time, especially after his loss to Carlos Ulberg at UFC 327 in their light heavyweight title fight.
Prochazka looked strong early but failed to take advantage after Ulberg suffered a torn ACL. The Czech fighter became overly defensive and eventually ate a stiff left hook, suffering another setback in his pursuit of the 205-pound title. It was his third failed attempt at capturing UFC gold after previously losing twice to Alex Pereira.
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Stirling, meanwhile, is riding plenty of momentum after recently knocking out former champion Jan Blachowicz. The New Zealander is currently on a six-fight UFC winning streak and remains undefeated at 11-0 overall.
Sterling will be looking to move closer to a second UFC title as he enters the matchup on a two-fight winning streak. He picked up solid victories over Brian Ortega and Youssef Zalal in his most recent outings.
Vallejos is also one of the names being tipped as a potential future 145-pound champion. The Argentine is 4-0 in the UFC after knocking out Josh Emmett in March, having originally earned his UFC contract through Dana White’s Contender Series in 2024.
UFC Qatar Main Card Stacked With Dan Hooker, Brian Ortega & Kyoji Horiguchi
And the action doesn’t stop with the headliners, as the rest of the UFC Qatar card is stacked from top to bottom. The main card also features a lightweight showdown between Brian Ortega and Dan Hooker. The fight will mark Ortega’s return to the Octagon at 155 pounds after he withdrew from his scheduled clash with Renato Moicano at UFC 332 because of a cut over his eye.
Hooker, meanwhile, is coming off a loss to newcomer Salahdine Parnasse at UFC Paris earlier this month. The defeat extended his losing streak to three, with the New Zealander previously falling to Arman Tsarukyan and Benoit Saint Denis.
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Rounding out the main card are two more intriguing matchups. Former title challenger Kyoji Horiguchi will face Asu Almabayev at flyweight, while Jared Cannonier takes on Ikram Aliskerov at middleweight.
Here’s a look at the UFC Qatar lineup:
- Jiri Prochazka vs. Navajo Stirling
- Aljamain Sterling vs. Kevin Vallejos
- Dan Hooker vs. Brian Ortega
- Asu Almabayev vs. Kyoji Horiguchi
- Jared Cannonier vs. Ikram Aliskerov
- Aleksandre Topuria vs. Santiago Luna
- Shamil Gaziev vs. Tallison Teixeira
- Amir Albazi vs. Alessandro Costa
- Jake Matthews vs. Akbar Abdullaev
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
