Who is Arman Tsarukyan and where is he from?
Arman Tsarukyan is a Russian-Armenian mixed martial artist currently competing in the lightweight division of the UFC. As of November 30, 2023, he is ranked No.8 in the official UFC rankings.
Fighting out of Khabarovsk City, Russia, the 27-year-old is a former junior ice hockey player for the Hockey Club Amur, commonly known as Amur Khabarovsk.
Arman Tsarukyan made his MMA debut against Islam Makhachev in April 2019 at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Oleynik. He lost the bout via unanimous decision but amassed a five-fight win streak after the loss, scoring wins over notable fighters like Matt Frevola and Olivier Aubin-Mercier.
Tsarukyan's magnificent run came to a halt against Mateusz Gamrot in June 2022 when he lost a closely contested five-round fight via unanimous decision. Since then, the 27-year-old has bounced back with back-to-back wins over Damir Ismagulov and Joaquim Silva.
Arman Tsarukyan's opponent puts him above top-ranked contenders in terms of skills
Arman Tsarukyan became an overnight sensation when he gave Islam Makhachev the toughest fight of his career up to that point. He has lived up to the reputation and delivered some dominant performances along the way.
Tsarukyan is set to challenge No.4 ranked UFC lightweight contender Beneil Dariush in his next fight. Dariush was previously linked for a fight against former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier. While speaking to Submission Radio recently, Dariush praised Tsarukyan for his skillset and admitted that the Armenian-Russian fighter is a tougher challenge for him. Beneil Dariush said:
“The way I look at it, Dustin makes more sense in terms of rankings… In terms of, you know, visibility, in terms of everything, right? BUT, on paper, I think Arman is a tougher fighter. He’s got better skills in terms of grappling. He’s younger, I would say he’s hungrier."
He added:
It’s just that on paper, he [Arman] is a tougher fighter. So if we’re talking about visibility, I’ll pick Dustin Poirier. If we’re talking about who’s the tougher challenge, I would pick Arman Tsarukyan.”
Watch the full interview below:
Beneil Dariush is coming off a loss against former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira in his UFC 289 outing. He was riding an eight-fight win streak prior to the loss and will look forward to get back in title contention.
Meanwhile, Tsarukyan is regarded as a highly touted fighter of the next generation who will look forward to rising through the ranks and getting a rematch against Islam Makhachev for the title.
Beneil Dariush and Arman Tsarukyan will meet at the UFC on ESPN 52 event set to take place on Dec. 2, 2023, at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.