The UFC’s inaugural event in Qatar was a violent night to say the least. Out of 14 bouts, nine ended in a variety of finishes, keeping the spectators inside the Ali Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah Arena engaged from start to finish. However, some fighters had to pay a bigger price. After literally giving their blood and sweat, the hospital became the next stop for some.

According to an MMA Mania report, three top-of-the-line fighters went in for immediate medical checkups right after their bouts. On that list, one half of the headliner, Dan Hooker, Islam Makhachev’s teammate, Tagir Ulanbekov, and Swedish UFC veteran Jack Hermansson were reported, mostly due to precautionary CT scans.

In the main event of the evening, Dan Hooker tried his level best to steal Arman Tsarukyan’s spot as the number one lightweight contender in the world. The Kiwi seemed to work hard for it. However, the Armenian dominated the first two rounds on the ground and on the feet, eventually submitting Hooker in the second to win the fight. While Tsarukyan called out lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, Hooker headed to the hospital for CT scans.

“I just went to the hospital last night, got scanned, everything’s all good,” Hooker updated about his hospital visit. “They said my nose was broken. I was like, well, that was from the weigh-in, not the fight.”

Discussing his health while taking a dig at the viral head-butt during the weigh-ins certainly feels like he is taking the visit in a lighthearted manner. Then comes Islam Makhachev’s teammate, Tagir Ulanbekov.

He might have suffered the biggest upset of the night after cutting his weight to be able to face Japanese veteran Kyoji Horiguchi on the main card. He entered as the betting favorite, especially with Horiguchi returning to the UFC after nine years. But what unfolded was a three-round beatdown from the 35-year-old.

In fact, Ulanbekov looked out of breath and swollen after the first round itself. Makhachev later revealed that he was about to stop the fight right then, but didn’t. Since his weight cut was quite large, Ulanbekov might’ve had more trouble. Due to the damage, Ulanbekov also went for CT scans right after the bout. Horiguchi secured a finish over Makhachev’s teammate early in the third round to earn a bonus.

The MMA mania also reported that Jack Hermansson had to rush to the doctor right after his fight with Myktybek Orolbai. The Swedish veteran made a drastic shift to welterweight after a lackluster middleweight run, which turned out to be a terrible decision.

At UFC 317, Hermansson was knocked out cold by Gregory Rodrigues, and following that brutal knockout, he was flatlined again by Orolbai in Qatar. So, after two back-to-back knockout losses, visiting the doctor’s office became a necessary decision.

Based on the severity of the damage, the fighters could receive 30, 45, 60 days, or even more time suspension outside the cage. However, in this case, it remains unknown whether any fighter has actually faced a specific cancellation or not. Dealing with and recovering from fight damage is always challenging, but Dan Hooker was reportedly very calm and spoke with the UFC brass in the hospital to arrange his next fight.

‘The Hangman’ had a matchmaking call with Hunter Campbell

What does a fighter do when he’s in the hospital, writhing in immense pain? Take a rest? Well, that’s certainly a recommended option. However, it doesn’t apply to Dan Hooker. Even after suffering a crushing loss against Arman Tsarukyan, he’s ready to make a quick turnaround.

While dealing with the damage in the hospital, ‘The Hangman’ revealed that he talked with UFC CBO Hunter Campbell on a phone call and asked to face Renato Moicano in his next fight.

“Yeah it was all good, I went to the hospital, got a call. Hunter Campbell gave us a call,” Hooker said in an interview with The Mac Life’s Oscar Willis.”He was like picked it and up and sad face. He’s like, ‘Oh, you alright Dan? And I just go, ‘Moicano s—ks’. Let me give Moicano a hiding. So you’re fighter, let’s have a old man fight.”

Recently, Fighting Nerd’s Mauricio Ruffy revealed that the UFC has been actively looking to match him up against Renato Moicano, and the talks have been very serious. But with Hooker now in the mix, the promotion could definitely make that fight next year, either as a Fight Night headliner or a massive addition to their Paramount+ marquee events.

That said, do you think Dan Hooker would be out for a while because of recovering from the damage he sustained during UFC Qatar? He already has multiple hand surgeries, so it might cause an issue. But still, let us know in the comments section below when you think he’s going to make his return.