Arman Tsarukyan

Tsarukyan used wrestling and top control throughout, then caught Hooker in a tight arm-triangle choke in the second round to earn the submission finish and extend his winning streak to five.

Key moments

• Controlled the fight with wrestling and ground pressure.
• Secured the arm-triangle choke in round two for the finish.
• Extended his win streak to five consecutive fights.

Tsarukyan withstood early submission threats from Oliveira, answered with consistent wrestling and top control, and stayed disciplined through the late grappling danger to take the split decision. It was the biggest win of his career and put him directly in the lightweight title conversation.

Key moments

• Survived a tight guillotine from Oliveira in the opening round.
• Answered with sustained wrestling and control between submission threats.
• Took the split decision to earn a shot at the lightweight title.

Tsarukyan landed a clean overhand right in the opening minute that dropped Dariush, then finished with follow-up punches to record one of the fastest knockouts of his career.

Key moments

• Dropped Dariush with a clean overhand right inside the first minute.
• Finished with follow-up punches to earn the KO at 1:04 of round one.

Tsarukyan controlled the fight with wrestling and progressive striking, then broke Silva down in the third round to earn the TKO finish.

Key moments

• Dominated with wrestling and top control across three rounds.
• Finished with punches in the third round for the TKO.

Tsarukyan won a clean unanimous decision against a durable, well-rounded opponent, showcasing the wrestling-heavy pressure style that has defined his win streak.

Key moments

• Controlled with wrestling and pressure striking across all three rounds.
• Won a unanimous decision to continue his momentum at lightweight.

In a five-round main event that earned Fight of the Night honors, Tsarukyan took the first two rounds on the judges' cards before Gamrot surged to win the final three and take a unanimous 48-47 decision. Both fighters showed elite wrestling and scrambling ability throughout the 25 minutes.

Key moments

• Headlined a UFC card for the first time in a marquee lightweight matchup.
• Won the first two rounds with grappling and striking before fading.
• Gamrot reversed momentum in rounds three through five to take all three cards 48-47.
• The bout was awarded Fight of the Night, snapping Tsarukyan's five-fight win streak.

Tsarukyan opened a severe cut above Alvarez's eye with a precise elbow during a first-round grappling exchange, then worked the damage relentlessly into round two before the referee stopped it at 1:57. The performance earned Tsarukyan a Performance of the Night bonus and extended his win streak to five.

Key moments

• Landed a perfectly placed elbow from guard that opened a deep cut on Alvarez's forehead in round one.
• Continued attacking the cut with ground-and-pound into round two to force the stoppage.
• Earned a Performance of the Night bonus for the second consecutive fight.
• Used the post-fight mic to publicly call out Islam Makhachev to avenge his 2019 loss.

Tsarukyan waited for his moment and landed a clean left hook that dropped Giagos, then swarmed with ground punches to force the stoppage at 2:09 of round one. The first-round TKO earned him a Performance of the Night bonus and was his fourth consecutive UFC win.

Key moments

• Dropped Giagos with a well-timed left hook in the opening round.
• Followed up with ground punches to earn the TKO stoppage from referee Herb Dean.
• Earned Performance of the Night for the finish.
• Fourth straight UFC win, cementing his push up the lightweight rankings.

In a last-minute booking on UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, Tsarukyan dominated Frevola with relentless wrestling, landing 10 of 12 takedown attempts and out-striking him 50-16 for a 30-27, 30-27, 30-26 sweep. Frevola had his moments — briefly stunning Tsarukyan in round one and threatening a guillotine in round three — but Tsarukyan's volume and control were decisive.

Key moments

• Stepped in as a late replacement after multiple opponent changes disrupted the booking.
• Landed 10 of 12 takedown attempts across three rounds, controlling the bulk of the fight on the mat.
• Frevola briefly stunned Tsarukyan in round one, but Tsarukyan shook it off and kept pressing.
• Swept all three judges' cards for his third consecutive UFC victory.

On UFC Fight Island in Abu Dhabi, Tsarukyan neutralised the submission threat of jiu-jitsu specialist Davi Ramos with sharp footwork and leg kicks before taking him down in rounds two and three. A right hand knockdown in the third round punctuated a 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 unanimous decision win.

Key moments

• Used speed and leg kicks to defuse Ramos's submission-heavy game in round one.
• Controlled the fight on the mat in rounds two and three with takedowns and top pressure.
• Knocked Ramos down with a right hand in the third round.
• Won the unanimous decision to post his second straight UFC victory.

In his second UFC outing — and first win in the promotion — Tsarukyan rallied against a strong Aubin-Mercier performance that featured jarring knees in the early going. He locked down a takedown in the final round and kept Aubin-Mercier grounded until the horn, earning three 29-28 cards in front of the Canadian's home crowd in Edmonton.

Key moments

• First UFC victory, coming three months after his debut loss to Islam Makhachev.
• Aubin-Mercier connected with sharp knees and controlled the striking in round two.
• A decisive takedown and ground control in round three was the winning move.
• Won all three judges' cards 29-28 in Aubin-Mercier's home venue in Edmonton, Alberta.

In his UFC debut in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Tsarukyan gave the future lightweight champion one of his toughest early tests — becoming the first man to take Makhachev down in the UFC — before losing a 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 unanimous decision. The high-level grappling display announced Tsarukyan as a serious lightweight prospect despite the loss.

Key moments

• UFC debut, held in front of a partisan Russian crowd in Saint Petersburg.
• Became the first fighter to take Makhachev down in the UFC, shooting successfully in round one.
• Makhachev controlled the wrestling exchanges and secured top position to take rounds two and three.
• The fight earned Fight of the Night; Tsarukyan's performance despite the loss drew widespread attention.

Tsarukyan landed a clean head kick to stop Olivieri at 1:25 of round three, capping a dominant performance at the Russian regional S-70 promotion. The knockout showcased the striking dimension of his game ahead of his UFC signing.

Key moments

• Finished with a head kick KO — the last fight of his pre-UFC career.
• Third-round finish in a fight that went deeper than his typical stoppages.
• Took place at the S-70: Plotforma Cup 2018 in Russia, a regular showcase event for regional prospects.

Tsarukyan retained the MFP lightweight title with a unanimous decision over Brazilian opponent Junior Assuncao, going the full 15 minutes in Khabarovsk, Russia. The title defence was part of his build-up to the UFC signing that followed later that year.

Key moments

• MFP Lightweight Championship title defence in Khabarovsk, Russia.
• Went the full three rounds against a durable Brazilian challenger.
• One of the last fights before signing a four-fight UFC contract.

Tsarukyan travelled to Beijing for the Gods of War World MMA Championship and stopped Chinese fighter Haotian Wu with a body kick followed by punches just 31 seconds into the third round. The performance demonstrated his ability to compete across different regional circuits.

Key moments

• Competed internationally at the Gods of War World MMA Championship in Beijing, China.
• Won via TKO with a body kick and follow-up punches at 0:31 of round three.
• One of several fights in early 2018 as he built toward his UFC signing.

Tsarukyan captured the MFP lightweight championship by outpointing Takenori Sato in a competitive 15-minute headliner in Khabarovsk, Russia. He threatened with takedowns and near-submissions throughout, nearly finishing with a rear-naked choke early before Sato survived a tight kimura threat in round two to reach the final bell.

Key moments

• Won the MFP Lightweight Championship title in the main event of MFP 214.
• Nearly finished Sato with a rear-naked choke inside the first five minutes.
• Sato threatened with a kimura in round two before Tsarukyan secured the decision.
• Championship win at the Platinum Arena in Khabarovsk ahead of his Road FC outing.

Tsarukyan earned a unanimous decision over South Korean fighter Kyung Pyo Kim at Road FC 43 in Seoul, South Korea, moving to 8-1 on his professional record. The bout gave him experience competing on the South Korean regional circuit ahead of his title fights with MFP.

Key moments

• Competed at Road FC 43 at Jangchung Gymnasium in Seoul, South Korea.
• Unanimous decision victory moved his record to 8-1.
• Gain of international experience competing against South Korean opposition.

Tsarukyan submitted Brazilian opponent Marcio Breno with a rear-naked choke inside the first round at the S-70: Plotforma Cup 2017 in Russia, continuing the submission-heavy run that defined his early career.

Key moments

• First-round rear-naked choke submission at 2:54.
• Third of four RNC submissions across his 2017 calendar.
• Competed against a Brazilian opponent at the Russian regional S-70 event.

Tsarukyan earned a first-round rear-naked choke submission over Nizamuddin Ramazanov at an MFP/WSOF Global event in Khabarovsk, Russia, part of a productive 2017 run in which he went 4-0 with four finishes.

Key moments

• Rear-naked choke at 2:31 of round one.
• Part of a four-fight, four-finish run across 2017.
• Competed at 145 lbs on the MFP/WSOF Global card in Khabarovsk.

Tsarukyan needed less than two minutes to submit Brazilian fighter Gustavo Wurlitzer at Octagon Fighting Sensation 11 in Moscow, continuing his pattern of quick first-round finishes through the early part of 2017.

Key moments

• Rear-naked choke finish at 1:58 of round one in Moscow.
• Competed at Luzhniki Stadium for this regional card.
• First fight of his 4-0 finish streak across 2017.

Tsarukyan avenged the only loss of his career by submitting Alexander Belikh with a guillotine choke in the first round at MFP: Eastern Rubicon 2, exactly one year after Belikh had knocked him out at the same event series. The revenge finish completed a 12-fight unbeaten run that took him to the UFC.

Key moments

• Avenged his sole career loss — a 30-second KO by Belikh at Eastern Rubicon in December 2015.
• Guillotine choke finish at 2:51 of round one, turning the tables emphatically.
• First of his three RNC/choke submissions in a prolific 2016-17 stretch.
• Part of the 12-fight winning streak that led directly to his UFC signing.

Tsarukyan secured a second-round anaconda choke submission over Alexander Merezhko at the MFP Governor's Pankration Cup in Russia, demonstrating his submission versatility beyond the rear-naked choke that had become his primary finisher.

Key moments

• Won by anaconda choke at 1:28 of round two — a different submission technique from his usual rear-naked choke.
• Regional MFP event in Russia as part of his unbeaten 2016 run.
• One of four wins in 2016 that preceded the Belikh rematch and his title-winning run.

Tsarukyan stopped Dmitriy Shkrabiy by TKO with punches at 2:23 of the first round at MFP 204 in Vladivostok, Russia, one of two regional victories he collected in the final two months of 2016 before the Belikh rematch.

Key moments

• First-round TKO by punches at 2:23 in Vladivostok, Russia.
• Regional MFP win three weeks before his title-winning run at Eastern Rubicon 2.
• Continued the unbeaten streak that followed his comeback from the Belikh loss.

Tsarukyan scored the fastest finish of his career, knocking out Ali Khaibulaev with a punch just 33 seconds into the first round at a regional MFP event in Kamchatka, Russia. The quick KO displayed the striking power he would later translate to the UFC level.

Key moments

• Career-fastest finish: KO by punch at 0:33 of round one.
• Competed at a regional MFP event at the Rollerdrome Entertainment Center in Kamchatka.
• First fight after avenging his loss — part of an unbroken run through the rest of 2016.

In only his second professional fight, Tsarukyan was stopped by a punch from Alexander Belikh inside 30 seconds, suffering the first and still-only setback of his regional career before the UFC. He would avenge the loss exactly one year later with a submission at Eastern Rubicon 2.

Key moments

• Second professional fight, ended by KO at the 30-second mark of round one.
• Only loss of his pre-UFC career — and the only time he has been stopped at regional level.
• Belikh's quick finish set up a rematch 12 months later that Tsarukyan won by submission.

Tsarukyan made his professional MMA debut with a first-round TKO win over Shamil Olokhanov at MFP: Assault Nights of Spassk 2015 in Spassk-Dalny, Russia. Both men were making their professional debuts; Tsarukyan's wrestling-based pressure was too much for Olokhanov to handle.

Key moments

• Professional MMA debut at Spassk Sports Center in Spassk-Dalny, Russia.
• Both Tsarukyan and Olokhanov were making their professional debuts.
• First-round TKO by punches at 2:47 set the pattern for his finishing style.