Stacked UFC Qatar Card Pits Former Champions Jiri Prochazka and Aljamain Sterling Against Rising Stars

Former UFC champions Aljamain Sterling and Jiri Prochazka will compete in the co-main event and the main event of UFC Qatar, respectively.

Stacked UFC Qatar Card Pits Former Champions Jiri Prochazka and Aljamain Sterling Against Rising Stars

Jiri Prochazka and Aljamain Sterling will compete at UFC Qatar (Image via ESPN/MMA Fighting)

Arman Tsarukyan vs Dan Hooker headlined the first ever UFC event in Qatar last year. The promotion will return to the middle eastern nation in November of this year. The card is stacked with former UFC champions, Jiri Prochazka and Aljamain Sterling, as star attractions.

No. 3 ranked light heavyweight, Prochazka, will take on rising contender Navajo Stirling in the main event. Stirling recently knocked out former champion Jan Blachowicz in the first round at UFC Belgrade to set up the Prochazka bout.

Meanwhile, Aljamain Sterling has a 3-1 record as a featherweight after moving from up the bantamweight division. ‘Funk Master’ will take on Argentinian rising star, Kevin Vallejos, in the co-main event. Vallejos is on a seven-fight winning streak and a win over Sterling puts him in the title picture.

The card is stacked from top to bottom as Hooker takes on former featherweight title challenger Brian Ortega in a three-round bout. Asu Almabayev vs Kyoji Horiguchi is another key matchup on the card. Power punchers Jared Cannonier and Ikram Aliskerov will fight each other as well in the main card.

Ilia Topuria’s brother, Aleksandre Topuria, will take on Santiago Luna in his third UFC bout. So far, he hasn’t been able to actively compete due to managing his brother’s training camps. The elder Topuria brother will aim to keep his momentum going as he looks to become a champion like Ilia.

All in all, the UFC Qatar joins UFC 334 as stacked cards for the fans to enjoy in the month of November. Ahead of the event, Vallejos hyped up his upcoming bout against Sterling.

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Kevin Vallejos praises Aljamain Sterling and predicts striking battle at UFC Qatar

Back in 2023, Kevin Vallejos lost to Jean Silva on the Dana White’s Contender Series. He went three full rounds with Silva and lost via decision. Nevertheless, he was far from done. The Argentine fighter recently knocked out veterans Josh Emmett and Giga Chikadze to put the division on notice.

Kevin Vallejos vs Aljamain Sterling is the co-main event bout at UFC Qatar
Kevin Vallejos vs Aljamain Sterling is the co-main event bout at UFC Qatar (Image via Reddit/MMA Mania)

Vallejos vs Sterling presents a legend vs prospect bout that the promotion regularly books. However, Sterling is still in his prime and recently outclassed Youssef Zalal in April. As such, this is a highly competitive bout. Vallejos took to X to praise Sterling as there were others in the top 10 that rejected a fight with him.

Legends are legends because they are willing to fight anybody. Most 145ers in the top are scared to fight so they pretend to be injured. WE are ALL injured, but only some of us want to fight. The only people who deserve to contend for a title are the ones who FIGHT. No cry.

Kevin Vallejos via X

The Argentine didn’t stop there. He predicted how his matchup against ‘Aljo’ would turn out at UFC Qatar, promising fans a competitive bout.

I think my fight will Sterling will be pure striking. ALL the fans win with this one. Legend vs Prospect. All-out striking war in a full arena.

Kevin Vallejos via X

Aljamain Sterling is someone who will not shy away from using his grappling skills to secure victory. As such, the Argentine has a tough task ahead of him at UFC Qatar as the veteran is aiming for a title shot.

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Navajo Stirling trolls Jiri Prochazka with Samurai gimmick

Fan-favorite Jiri Prochazka is deeply passionate about Samurai and their teachings. As such, multiple fighters have poked fun at the Czech fighter with the Samurai gimmick.

Jiri Prochazka will take on Navajo Stirling at UFC Qatar
Jiri Prochazka will take on Navajo Stirling at UFC Qatar (Image via YouTube/X)

His upcoming opponent, Navajo Stirling, posted a video on Instagram regarding Prochazka’s Samurai gimmick. In the video, the rising star drinks a beer and practices his Samurai skills to prepare for the UFC Qatar main event bout.

Prochazka messed up at UFC 327, which led to an injured Carlos Ulberg winning the vacant light heavyweight title. The Czech superstar needs a win at UFC Qatar to keep his title hopes alive.

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