Tag: Arman Tsarukyan

UFC free fight: Arman Tsarukyan stops Joaquim Silva in dominant TKO win

Watch Arman Tsarukyan run through Joaquim Silva.

[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] is a problem in the UFC’s lightweight division.

The 27-year-old fighter has built quite the resume in recent years, defeating and dominating quality talent in the division. One of those impressive wins came this past June. Tsarukyan faced Brazil’s Joaquim Silva, dominating him and then eventually scoring a third-round TKO.

You can watch Tsarukyan’s dominant win in the video above.

Tsarukyan (20-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) returns to the cage this Saturday in the main event of UFC on ESPN 52, which takes place at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. He takes on Beneil Dariush (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC) in a key lightweight bout. The main card airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

UFC on ESPN 52 pre-event facts: Deiveson Figueiredo brings record resume to new division

The best facts about UFC on ESPN 52, which features a loaded lineup with multiple former champions who own key octagon records.

The UFC travels to Austin, Texas for the fifth time in its history Saturday with UFC on ESPN 52, which takes place at Moody Center with a main card that airs on ESPN following prelims on ESPN+.

Elite lightweights will meet in the main event of the card, with [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC) looking to start a new winning streak against the surging [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] (20-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) in a five-round bout that will have significant implications on the divisional rankings.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC on ESPN 52.

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Renato Moicano gives predictions for Beneil Dariush vs. Arman Tsarukyan, Bobby Green vs. Jalin Turner

Check out Renato Moicano’s picks for UFC on ESPN 52.

[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] has his eye on this Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 52.

The UFC lightweight contender knows the division could go under a major change depending on what happens in the main and co-main bouts of the card.

At the top of the bill, [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] returns from his loss to former champion Charles Oliveira to fight rising contender [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag]. It’s a big fight in the weight class and one Moicano sees Tsarukyan winning.

“Beneil Dariush, even though he’s getting kind of old, he still beat the new guy in the UFC, Mateusz Gamrot – a very good guy, very good grappler,” Moicano said on his YouTube channel. “Mateusz beat Tsarukyan. It’s so tough to choose. Some people are saying since Mateusz beat Tsarukyan, he (Dariush) will beat Tsarukyan, but I don’t think so. He has a good game to beat guys like Mateusz Gamrot, he’s a good wrestler, but when it comes to hold positions on the ground, he loses the position, that’s why he lost the fight.

“… I think Tsarukyan – even though his last fight against ‘Neto’ wasn’t his best performance, he almost got knocked out if you remember – I think he will beat Beneil Dariush shooting for takedowns and controlling on the ground. One thing that Tsarukyan does well is controlling people on the ground and throw elbows. I think that will be a huge factor on the fight. I can see this fight coming to a decision because Beneil Dariush is very tough, and he’s going to survive. But still, I think Arman Tsarukyan will beat Beneil Dariush in a decision.”

In the co-main event, [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] takes on short notice replacement [autotag]Jalin Turner[/autotag], who stepping in on two weeks notice to replace an injured Dan Hooker.

Moicano has questions about Turner’s weight given the short-notice nature of the fight, and whether or not the fight will go down. However, if the fight goes on with a weight miss or not, he’s going with Turner.

“In my opinion, I think Jalin Turner will beat Bobby Green,” Moicano said.
“Why? Because he’s too tall and has a good guillotine. I don’t think Bobby will shoot for takedowns, especially because of Jalin Turner’s frame, but he will have trouble with the reach of Jalin Turner. Jalin Turner is coming off two losses and didn’t make the weight against Hooker, fair enough. I wonder how he’s going to make weight. The weight for me was a factor to try to get the Bobby Green fight, because it would be hard to make 155 for me.

“I don’t know Jalin Turner. Maybe he’s even heavier than me and that could affect him in the weight cut and the fight. But still, if he doesn’t make the weight and they still fight, I think Jalin Turner will be better than Bobby Green.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

Arman Tsarukyan: If I want to fight for the title I have to finish Beneil Dariush in UFC main event

Beating Beneil Dariush is not enough for Arman Tsarukyan at UFC on ESPN 52.

Beating [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] is not enough for [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag].

Tsarukyan (20-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) takes on Dariush (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC) in the UFC on ESPN 52 headliner Dec. 2 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

Although Dariush is a top five UFC lightweight, Tsarukyan thinks he needs to make a statement if he wants to enter the title picture. Dariush was on an eight-fight winning streak until he ran into Charles Oliveira, who stopped him by first-round TKO at UFC 289 in June.

“They (fans) got to expect the best performance from Arman Tsarukyan,” Tsarukyan said in an interview with Middle Easy. “The best KO. Definitely, it’s going to be a finish. So, If I want to fight for the title, I’ve got to finish.

“If I’m going to win barely, people are going to talk, ‘Oh Oliveira knocked him out, you just barely win him, what are you talking about?’ So that’s why I’ve got to perform very well and knock him out. To be honest, I like a lot Dariush. I like the fighter, I like the guy, so I’ve got to give him respect.”

Tsarukyan has gone five rounds once in his career when he lost a razor thin Fight of the Night decision to Mateusz Gamrot in June 2022. Meanwhile, UFC on ESPN 52 marks Dariush’s first 25-minute fight.

“Before Gamrot, I had never fought five rounds,” Tsarukyan said. “Now I fought five rounds and I have that experience. Now I know how to control my gas. Beneil never had a five-round fight so that’s good. I already have that, and I have more experience in five rounds. Hopefully it’s not going to be five rounds, I want to finish him early.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 52.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Oct. 30-Nov. 5)

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 or officially announced by the promotions from Oct. 30-Nov. 5.

Arman Tsarukyan finally has what he’s wanted for so long in UFC Austin headliner vs. Beneil Dariush

Arman Tsarukyan finally drew the top-ranked UFC lightweight contender he was looking for and can’t wait to show out in Austin.

[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] finally drew the top-ranked contender he was looking for.

Tsarukyan (20-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) meets [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC) in a UFC Fight Night headliner Dec. 2 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

Winner of seven of his past eight, Tsarukyan is coming off a third-round TKO of Joaquim Silva in June. His only two UFC losses have come to current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and a razor-thin decision to Mateusz Gamrot. He is confident he can become UFC champion, and an opponent such as Dariush is exactly what he needs to get there.

“I believe my conditioning is better, and I’ll finish him,” Tsarukyan said in an interview with the UFC. “I’m the best young fighter in our division. Beneil, he has like more than 20 fights in the UFC, and he has a lot of experience. So, young wolf vs. old wolf. We’ll see who’s going to win.”

Tsarukyan has struggled to net a top-five opponent, and his most recent matchup with Silva has turned heads. But now the 27-year-old will get his long-awaited opportunity against Dariush, who was recently riding an eight-fight winning streak before getting stopped by Charles Oliveira at UFC 289.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment a long time,” Tsarukyan said. “I called out a lot of times guys from the top five, and I couldn’t (get it). But now, finally I’ve got someone from the top five, and I deserve it. I’m going to show on Dec. 2 I can be in the top five and be a champion. I want to finish Beneil and show everybody I deserve to fight for the title.”

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UFC Austin official with Beneil Dariush vs. Arman Tsarukyan, Dan Hooker vs. Bobby Green as 5-round fights

The UFC is officially headed back to Austin, Texas and its bringing two five-round fights to top the card.

The UFC is headed back to Austin, Texas and two five-round lightweight fights sit atop the bill.

[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] and [autotag]Dan Hooker[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] will headline a UFC Fight Night card Dec. 2 at Moody Center. UFC CEO Dana White officially announced the card on X. The event marks the first time the promotion has held an event in Austin since a June 2022 card headlined by Josh Emmett vs. Calvin Kattar.

Dariush (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC) will attempt to rebound from his TKO loss to Charles Oliveira in June, which snapped a seven-fight winning streak. Tsarukyan (20-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC), meanwhile, tries to build off his third-round TKO of Joaquim Silva in June.

Hooker (23-12 MMA, 13-8 UFC) and Green (31-14-1 MMA, 12-9-1 UFC) have angled for a matchup in recent weeks, since Green knocked out Grant Dawson in 33 seconds on Oct. 7.

Both fighters ride two-fight winning streaks into the matchup. Hooker defeated Claudio Puelles and Jalin Turner in succession. Green finished back-to-back fights against Tony Ferguson and Dawson.

Other contender fights on the Dec. 2 card include Deiveson Figueiredo’s bantamweight debut vs. Rob Font, Kelvin Gastelum’s return to welterweight vs. Sean Brady, and former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Miesha Tate’s return vs. Julia Avila.

With the addition, the UFC Austin lineup includes:

  • Beneil Dairush vs. Arman Tsaukyan
  • Dan Hooker vs. Bobby Green
  • Rob Font vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
  • Sean Brady vs. Kelvin Gastelum
  • Roman Dolidze vs. TBA
  • Miesha Tate vs. Julia Avila
  • Veronica Hardy vs. Jamey-Lyn Horth
  • Azamat Murzakanov vs. Khalil Rountree
  • Clay Guida vs. Joaquim Silva
  • Drakkar Klose vs. Joe Solecki
  • Jared Gooden vs. Wellington Turman
  • Melquizael Costa vs. Steve Garcia

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

Arman Tsarukyan thinks Beneil Dariush makes sense for him next: ‘I know he’d take that fight’

Arman Tsarukyan has turned his attention to a top contender he knows will fight him.

[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] has turned his attention to a top contender he knows will fight him.

Although Tsarukyan (20-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) admits Michael Chandler is his No. 1 choice, the 26-year-old also likes [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC) as a potential opponent.

Having struggled to net top-ranked opposition, Tsarukyan is confident Dariush would accept to fight him – especially since he’s coming off a loss to Charles Oliveira.

“It’s hard to find the opponent,” Tsarukyan told Submission Radio. “But we have some guys who don’t care. We have one guy in our division who can fight with everybody – that’s Dariush. So we’ll see. Maybe the UFC is going to make this fight. That fight makes sense.

“For me, it’s a good step, and for me it doesn’t matter. I could fight with everybody in the top five – just give me any names and I’ll take it. And the UFC knows that. I’m that fighter who can beat everybody. That’s why I’ll take all fights.”

Tsarukyan is coming off back-to-back wins over Damir Ismagulov and Joaquim Silva. He’s targeting a return by the end of the year and thinks the timeline would work for Dariush too.

“I think they’ll work on it,” Tsarukyan said. “I don’t have exact information. He wants to fight at the end of this year, and I want to fight, and I see that me and Dariush can fight. I think that fight’s going to happen.”

Tsarukyan resonates with Dariush in his willingness to fight anyone, which is why he has plenty of respect for him.

“Dariush, in the top 15, he’s the nicest guy,” Tsarukyan said. “He’s a humble guy. I know him personally, and we trained once together. We had lunch together, so I know him. He’s such a good guy. But this is sport, and he wants to fight with everybody – same as me. I know he’d take that fight with me because for him it makes sense because he lost his last fight.”

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Arman Tsarukyan adamant he’ll be the one to dethrone UFC champ Islam Makhachev: ‘My boxing is much better’

Arman Tsarukyan is confident he’ll be the one to stop UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev’s run.

[autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] is confident he’s the one to stop UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Islam Makhachev[/autotag]’s run.

Winner of seven of his past eight, Tsarukyan (20-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) is coming off a third-round TKO of Joaquim Silva less than two weeks ago at UFC on ESPN 47.

In his UFC debut in April 2019, Tsarukyan lost a Fight of the Night effort to Makhachev. Tsarukyan landed one takedown and out struck Makhachev overall, but Makhachev’s six minutes of control time and four takedowns got him the decision win. Makhachev has won seven straight since – including back-to-back wins over Charles Oliveira, and featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski.

“Just me can beat him in our division,” Tsarukyan told Lowkick MMA. “It’s my opinion. … It’s my dream fight. All my focus is to be a champion. That’s why I called him out. We’ll see. Maybe next year we’ll fight with each other. I want to see my improvements. I want to see my skills. That fight, I think (is) the most competitive fight for me.”

Tsarukyan thinks he has the advantage on the feet, and sees himself being able to stuff the champions takedowns if they were to run things back.

“I think I’m going to defend his wrestling and beat him in the standup,” Tsarukyan said. “I believe my striking is better, my kicks, my boxing. He has a good clinch, but I think my footwork, my kicks and my boxing is much better. He has good things in striking, too. We’ve got to be careful. I know how I can beat him and I want to show it to everybody. It’s going to be a tough fight, but I believe in myself and I’ll go there just for the win.”

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USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings, June 20: Arman Tsarukyan, Larissa Pacheco climb

Arman Tsarukyan and Larissa Pacheco picked up big wins over the weekend, resulting in upward movement in this week’s update.

Two impressive fighters in their respective divisions picked up big wins last weekend and made moves up the ladder.

First, at 2023 PFL 5 on Friday, 2022 season winner [autotag]Larissa Pacheco[/autotag] picked up another first-round finish by making quick work of Amber Leibrock. The quick finish earned her six points and a guaranteed spot in the playoffs as she looks to win back-to-back championships. As a result, she climbs to the No. 2 spot in the women’s featherweight division.

Saturday at UFC on ESPN 46, [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] continued his winning ways by finishing Joaquim Silva in the third round. The result marked two in a row, resulting in a bump from the honorable mention to claiming No. 13 in the lightweight rankings.

Check out all the latest pound-for-pound and divisional USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie rankings above.

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