The Fight #62

UFC Qatar delivered one of the most dramatic cards of the year, headlined by Arman Tsarukyan’s decisive submission victory over Dan Hooker in a performance that reshaped the lightweight landscape. The entire event was filled with stunning finishes, breakout moments, and high-level tactical battles that immediately changed multiple divisional conversations. From rapid first round knockouts to statement wins from rising contenders, this card had every element that fight fans look for. In today’s episode, we break down the key moments, turning points, and implications for every major contender who stepped into the cage.

Chapters

• 0:00 Marathon Fight Weekend Setup
• 0:39 Upset Of Dagestani Prospect
• 1:36 Waldo’s Eyepatch And First-Round Finish
• 2:18 Hermansson Stopped And Career Questions
• 3:03 Volkan Overcomes Raw Power
• 3:53 Ian Garry Dismantles Belal
• 5:18 Can Garry Handle Islam’s Tools
• 6:34 Arman’s Statement And Title Stakes
• 7:15 Closing Thoughts On UFC Qatar

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:01

It's late in LA. The fight tapping in. Episode 62. How it does. UFC Qatar. Listen. We got up at 10 a.m. Okay? We was up till 10 a.m. till 10 a.m. 12 hours of violence. 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. I watched boxing and UFC all day yesterday. First of all, fantastic both cards. First of all, fantastic showing for UFC Qatar. Top to bottom, the prelims were exciting. The main card was exciting. And the people I thought was going to win won. So let's get into it. The fight 62. Listen, OG Koji is coming off of a, you know, he hasn't been in the UC for a while. And he's fighting one of the guys that's under Islam, under the Dagestani crew, and he washed him, beat his ass, lost the first round, and round two and three, he put belt to S. He outstruck him, he out wrestled him, he out he had better jujitsu, he better ground control. It was crazy to see because the guys coming from Dagestan come from such a pedigree, you know, with Kabib in them, that there has to be a real skill gap or power gap or something like that for a person to win usually. But this guy had everything in spades. That division is they got a headache. They got a headache. Pantoja's gonna have to deal with them. They trained together. He called them out too. So let's see what happens. Exciting fighter, exciting fight, and kicks off the car great. Waldo was just here, I'm pretty sure, two weeks ago, where he got eye poked and then he dropped somebody, and that guy was the one that who was a sparring partner for Tom Espinall. So now he's, you know, really playing into the pirate thing. He's wearing an eye patch and shit. So shout out to him. He got it done in one, put his man down. Listen, man, you can't just go out there, you know, just throwing punches, bro. Like, you gotta have a plan. His opponent did not have a plan. He just wanted to land first and he didn't. He he got countered and he got dropped and it was over. Like, you can't go out there with top-tier talent like that and think you're gonna win with just one tool of victory. Jack Hermanson got dropped. Round one KO. Might Tebek. I mean, he put Belt to S. He was hunting for the knockout from the beginning of the round, from the onset. He was just trying to close the range and land an overhand right, and he's as soon as he did, he dropped. I don't like that Jack's coming from a different weight class. He's coming and shrinking down. I think he's on his way out. This may be his last fight. I hope so. It's just a lot of damage, a lot of fighting, and a long career. A long career. He's a long standing fighter in the EOC. Long-standing warrior. It's just that, like, after a certain amount of damage, man, we gotta get you out of there. Shout out to Menebeck. He got it done in one. I knew Vulcan was gonna win. Malonzo is great, but his striking defense is horrendous. He he can't he has to be the hammer. If he's not the hammer, he's just gonna be a real beat up now. And he got beat up towards defense, got crowded, knees, punches, and bunches, and he ended the fight right there. It it is no head movement, no jab, no setups. These are big boys too, so you can't really just play around as far as these exchanges. Like this shit is serious. And Vulcan's a serious guy. Like he's a powerful guy. I knew he was gonna do that. Alonzo is beating a lot of these rookies who aren't ready for his power or you know, his athleticism. But if you're in the sport long enough, you know how to cope with those things. And Vulcan coped and overcame. Now, speaking of overcoming, I thought Ian Gary was gonna lose this fight. I thought Balau was going to control him. And guys, if Balau can't control him, Islam's gonna have a hard time controlling him. Ian Gary is very, very good with his takedown defense, and he's been fighting a lot of wrestle heavy, grappler-heavy fighters. So now he's sharpened to the point that it's gonna be an issue if you try to push for the takedown. If you can't get a takedown, you're gonna get picked apart. Ian Gary picked Bilal apart. It was no part of the fight where I thought Bilau was in it. I thought he was losing. I thought he was looking for ways out. I think he was he's older too. Like he can take the punches, but he can't keep up with the skill, the speed, and technique. I think Ian's call out of Islam afterwards was fantastic. I do think he should get first dibs. These guys were fighting other older contenders. Balau's the former champ. That's the best person you can get on your resume. All Ian was missing was a you know a finish, but he was smart. Balau hurt him a couple times. He did some damage as well, but like Ian Gary, he did exactly what he was supposed to do. And I think a three-round fight served him well against Balau. I don't know how it will look for Ian Gary in a five-round fight where Islam gets a lot of time, 25 minutes, to create that situation in which you got to deal with the striking and the wrestling, the striking and wrestling. Then you get you start to lose confidence in one or the either. So it was good to see what he can do. I think he has the skills to beat Islam, but can he beat Islam? I don't think so. I think Islam striking is underrated. I think Islam striking is high enough that even if he can't take you down, he could beat you on the feet. If Dustin Poirier never got taken down and choked out, he still would have lost that fight on the feet. So it's he's a high-level fighter. I'm sure you got a couple more fights and he's gonna retire soon. So the welterweight division is gonna have to deal with Ian Gary sooner or later. Shout out to him, shout out to the future of the UFC welterweight division. Uh hopefully, you know, Usmith versus Islam happens, but like if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. But Usmith versus Islam is a great fight. But it, you know, Usma's old, so I get it. Like it's Ian's time. Let's see what Ian can do. Now, going into the last fight, I knew Armand was gonna win this fight. I knew he could beat him anywhere. He was hurting them on the feet, he destroyed them on the ground. The skill gap was high, it was noticeable, it was apparent. This guy's ready for the champ, and Ilya Tapoya has to fight this guy, or he has to vacate and move up or do something else because this is the number one contender. This is the best challenge for him and his skill set, and I think Armand can be champion at that weight class. Everybody else against him. I think Ilya Tapora can just he can catch him and he can put him down, but Armand can force a wrestling exchange, force a grappling exchange to the point where he's mixing it up as well. That is the fight to make the fight tap in. UFC Qatar was amazing. Episode 62. Thank y'all for tapping in. Tap in then. It's La NL.