Tag: Arman Tsarukyan

Arman Tsarukyan gets next task: Joaquim Silva at UFC on ESPN 46

UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan has struggled to find fights, which has resulted in a matchup against an unranked opponent.

[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] finally has a willing foe – even though it’s an unranked one.

Approximately one month after Renato Moicano withdrew from their five-round fight due to injury, Tsarukyan (19-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) has been rebooked for a bout vs. [autotag]Joaquim Silva[/autotag] (12-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC). The fight will take place at UFC on ESPN 46, which takes place June 17 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Two people with knowledge of the booking informed MMA Junkie of it Tuesday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. ESPN first reported the matchup.

Tsarukyan, 26, has struggled to find fights in recent months. His two promotional losses came against Islam Makhachev in his UFC debut and Mateusz Gamrot in a June 2022 headliner.

Silva, 34, has stepped up to the plate as he seeks his second win in a row. Following back-to-back TKO losses, Silva scored a finish of his own with strikes against Jesse Ronson in October.

With the addition, the UFC on ESPN 46 lineup includes:

  • Jared Cannonier vs. Marvin Vettori
  • Joaquim Silva vs. Arman Tsarukyan
  • Raoni Barcelos vs. Miles Johns
  • Alessandro Costa vs. Jimmy Flick
  • Tereza Bleda vs. Gabriella Fernandes
  • Kleydson Rodrigues vs. Tatsuro Taira
  • Modestas Bukauskas vs. Zac Pauga
  • Nicolas Dalby vs. Muslim Salikhov
  • Denys Bondar vs. Carlos Hernandez
  • Nikolas Motta vs. Manuel Torres
  • Daniel Argueta vs. Ronnie Lawrence
  • Josh Fremd vs. Roman Kopylov

Renato Moicano injured, out of UFC Fight Night 223 main event vs. Arman Tsarukyan

The UFC needs a new headliner for April 29 after Renato Moicano withdrew from his lightweight bout with Arman Tsarukyan due to injury.

The UFC needs a new headliner for April 29 after [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] withdrew from his lightweight bout with [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] due to injury.

Moicano (17-5-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) is out of the UFC Fight Night 223 main event against Tsarukyan (19-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC), which was scheduled to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

MMA Junkie verified the news with two people close to the situation, who requested anonymity because the promotion hasn’t made an official announcement.

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It’s unknown at this time if Tsarukyan will remain on the card against a new opponent or if the organization plans to insert a new headliner altogether.

Following the publication of this story, Tsarukyan’s manager Daniel Rubenstein, of Ruby Sports & Entertainment, expressed doubt a replacement could be found in time.

If he remains on the card, Tsarukyan, 26, will look to continue his momentum from a unanimous decision win over Damir Ismagulov at UFC Fight Night 216 in December. The upcoming would contest would also mark his second promotional main event. The first was a unanimous decision defeat to Mateusz Gamrot at UFC on ESPN 38 in June.

The latest UFC Fight Night 223 lineup now includes:

  • Arman Tsarukyan vs. opponent TBA
  • Caio Borralho vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
  • Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Marcos Rogerio
  • Cody Brundage vs. Rodolfo Vieira
  • Ange Loosa vs. Josh Quinlan
  • Emily Ducote vs. Polyana Viana
  • Natan Levy vs. Pete Rodriguez
  • Brian Kelleher vs. Journey Newson
  • Martin Buday vs. Jake Collier
  • Cody Durden vs. Charles Johnson
  • Julian Erosa vs. Fernando Padilla
  • Hailey Cowan vs. Jamey-Lyn Horth
  • Irina Alekseeva vs. Stephanie Egger

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 223.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (March 20-26)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from March 20-26.

UFC books Arman Tsarukyan vs. Renato Moicano to headline April 29 event

Lightweight contenders Renato Moicano and Arman Tsarukyan are set to fight at the final UFC Fight Night event in April.

A lightweight headliner is on tap for the final UFC event of April.

A the UFC Fight Night event April 29, contenders [autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] (17-5-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) and [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] (19-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) will square off. While not officially announced, the card is expected to take place April 29 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Two people with knowledge of the booking informed MMA Junkie of the matchup but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. The bout was first reported by MMA.Meta.

Moicano, 33, headlines for the second time in his UFC career. In 2019, he lost his first promotional main event to “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. He enters the April 29 bout after winning three of his most recent four. At UFC 281 in November, Moicano defeated Brad Riddell via first-round rear-naked choke and cut a viral promo on the microphone during his post-fight interview at Madison Square Garden.

Tsarukyan, 26, looks to continue his momentum from a unanimous decision win over Damir Ismagulov at UFC Fight Night 216 in December. The upcoming bout also marks his second promotional main event. The first was a unanimous decision defeat to Mateusz Gamrot at UFC on ESPN 38 in June.

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With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for April 29 includes:

  • Renato Moicano vs. Arman Tsarukyan
  • Caio Borralho vs. Michał Oleksiejczuk
  • Natan Levy vs. Pete Rodriguez
  • Brian Kelleher vs. Journey Newson
  • Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
  • Martin Buday vs. Jake Collier
  • Cody Brundage vs. Rodolfo Vieira
  • Ange Loose vs. Josh Quinlan
  • Cody Burden vs. Charles Johnson
  • Julian Erosa vs. Fernando Padilla

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for the UFC Fight Night event April 29.

Michael Chandler says ‘no thanks’ to Arman Tsarukyan’s callout: ‘I’m over here talking about Conor McGregor’

Michael Chandler has bigger business to attend to than Arman Tsarukyan.

[autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] has bigger business to attend to than rising UFC lightweight contender [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag].

Tsarukyan (19-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) called out Chandler, taking aim at his fight IQ. Tsarukyan entered the top 10 lightweight rankings with his recent win over Damir Ismagulov at UFC Fight Night 216.

While Chandler can appreciate a good promo, the former title challenger is focused on netting a mega fight with Conor McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who’s nearing a return to the octagon for the first time since July 2021.

“I didn’t respond, because I haven’t even seen him fight,” Chandler said on the “Believe You Me” podcast with Michael Bisping. “Not disrespecting or whatever. I know he fought (Mateusz) Gamrot; I haven’t really seen Gamrot fight either. I appreciate the callout. That’s exactly what I would do if I was him, but no thanks, man. I’m over here talking about Conor and TUF. You think I’m worried about freaking Arman Tsarukyan with a silent T at the beginning of his name?”

He continued, “It was a good callout, good for him. He was coming at me, but that’s not how you get a fight with me, dude.”

Chandler’s UFC tenure has been nothing short of entertaining, delivering Fight of the Year and Knockout of the Year candidates. With McGregor revealing that he’ll be coaching Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” the 36-year-old thinks he’d be the perfect choice for both the show and McGregor’s comeback fight.

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Arman Tsarukyan calls out Michael Chandler, says he has ‘lowest fight IQ in the division’

Arman Tsarukyan thinks it’s time for Michael Chandler to prove that he belongs in the top five of the official UFC rankings.

[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] thinks it’s time for [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] to prove that he belongs in the top five of the official UFC rankings.

Tsarukyan (19-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) issued a callout of the former three-time Bellator champion and one-time UFC title challenger on Friday, telling Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) that he needs to prove where he stands after fighting up in the rankings in four of his five octagon appearances.

There was some additional edge on the callout, as well, with Tsarukyan putting Chandler’s fight IQ on blast (via Twitter):

Hey @MikeChandlerMMA it’s time to defend your rankings! Lowest fight IQ in the division against new mma generation. I won’t see you at the top 🫡

Tsarukyan, 26, is coming off a unanimous decision win over Damir Ismagulov at UFC Fight Night 216 in December. The win helped him rebound from a main event loss to Mateusz Gamrot in June, which snapped Tsarukyan’s five-fight winning streak.

The Russian wants to take another step forward in his career as the expense of Chandler, 36, who suffered a third-round submission loss to Dustin Poirier in his most recent outing at UFC 281 in November.

Chandler has been pushing for a summer showdown with Conor McGregor, but with reports surfacing McGregor could potentially coach the next season of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series opposite Tony Ferguson, the matchup could be off the table.

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Video: Which new UFC contenders are legitimate title threats in 2023?

Our “Spinning Back Clique” takes a look at which UFC contenders have cemented their status as title contenders in 2023.

A number of UFC fighters produced impressive 2022 campaigns to elevate themselves to contender status.

From heavyweights [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] and [autotag]Jairzinho Rozenstruik[/autotag] to middleweights [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] and [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag], there has been a solid mix of new fighters making rapid ascents up the ladder as well as contenders who have been around to fight the best holding onto their position.

In 2023, will we see one of these fighters break through to earn a shot at the title? What are the chances that someone like lightweight [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] will get another crack at current champ [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag]? Can [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag] keep the momentum of his impressive stoppage of Bryce Mitchell going to fight for the title?

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Our “Spinning Back Clique” panel of Farah Hannoun, Nolan King and Brian “Goze” Garcia take a look at the names who are making waves with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia. You can watch their discussion in the video above. And don’t miss this week’s full episode below.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel.

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Arman Tsarukyan eyes Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush after UFC Fight Night 216: ‘I deserve to have a big name’

Arman Tsarukyan thinks it’s time he gets matched up with the upper echelon of the UFC lightweight division.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] thinks it’s time he gets matched up with the upper echelon of the lightweight division.

Tsarukyan (19-3 MMA, 6-2 UFC) returned to the win column when he defeated Damir Ismagulov by unanimous decision in this past Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 216 co-main event at the UFC Apex.

After handing Ismagulov his first octagon loss, Tsarukyan is targeting former champion [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] or streaking top contender [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] next.

“It’s a big fight for me and a big name,” Tsarukyan told MMA Junkie and other reporters of Ismagulov backstage. “Yeah, he’s not in the top five, but he’s tougher than top fighters.”

He continued, “I would like to have my next fight (against) Charles Oliveira or (Beneil) Dariush, because I deserve to have a big name. They don’t have a fight now, and I’m ready.”

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The win over Ismagulov was big for Tsarukyan, but Ismagulov doesn’t carry the ranking that will elevate the 26-year-old to title contention. So if Tsarukyan can’t get a top-ranked opponent next, he has no issues waiting until he’s offered one.

“I don’t get injured. I feel good,” Tsarukyan said. “I’m young, and I can cut weight. If the UFC offered me a big fight, I’m going to be ready in two months. But if they’re going to offer me someone from the top 15, I’m not gonna fight. I’m going to wait like a little bit, improve my skills and go to ATT to train with my coach.

“Because last camp I had in Thailand, because I didn’t have a visa. He got mad. This time, I’ve got to go to Miami, ATT and train with him for a long time and choke everybody. This time, he said I made some mistakes in grappling, and I’m going to improve it, and we’re going to choke everybody.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 216.

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Spinning Back Clique: Doug Crosby fallout continues, McGregor out of UFC Rankings, more

Join us for this week’s live stream of “Spinning Back Clique” looking at the biggest news and topics in MMA.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Nolan King and Farah Hannoun will join host “Gorgeous” George Garcia live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate:

  • The emergence of several UFC title contenders in recent weeks. Among them is [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag], who reemerged as a threat at middleweight following his win over Sean Strickland this past Saturday at UFC Fight Night 216. You’ve also got the likes of [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag], [autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag], [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag], and more who have made statements with wins. Who’s come the closest to realistically having a crack at gold in their respective weight class?
  • The continued fallout surrounding controversial judge Doug Crosby in the wake of UFC 282 and Bellator 289. First, ABC president Mike Mazzulli announced that he would be conducting a review with Crosby after he scored Raufeon Stots’ split decision win 50-45 in favor of loser Danny Sabatello. Then later in the week, California State Athletic Commission executive officer Andy Foster issued a memorandum that places restrictions on out-of-state travel for combat sports officials in response to Crosby serving as judge in the Bellator 289 main event in Uncasville, Conn., and then traveling to judge fights the next day in Las Vegas at UFC 282, including the controversial Paddy Pimblett-Jared Gordon co-main event. What does this all mean moving forward?
  • Conor McGregor out of the UFC rankings. For the first time in eight years, former two-division champion McGregor is out of the promotion’s official rankings after being removed from the lightweight top 15. He hasn’t fought in 19 months, and there’s no telling exactly when (or if) he’ll return. What is the state of McGregor’s fighting career at the moment?
  • T.J. Dillashaw’s detailing of his decision to retire. For the first time since his shocking announcement, the former UFC bantamweight champion opened up to Brendan Schaub about retirement, including the “raw conversation” with his doctor prior to shoulder surgery. What were the biggest takeaways from what we heard from Dillashaw?
  • Valentina Shevchenko potential next move. In an interview with MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, the dominant UFC women’s flyweight champion discussed what she considers her wide range of options: title contenders Alexa Grasso and Manon Fiorot, a trilogy with Amanda Nunes for the bantamweight title, or perhaps even a superfight with strawweight champion Zhang Weili. If you were matchmaker, who would get the next crack at “Bullet” and why?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch this week’s episode in the video above.

5 biggest takeaways from UFC Fight Night 216: Sean Strickland’s shtick falls flat if he’s not winning

Thoughts and analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC Fight Night 216, which took place Saturday in Las Vegas.

What mattered most at UFC Fight Night 216 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …