Athletes
ARMAN TSARUKYAN: THE BEST IS YET TO COME
Ascending Lightweight Talks About Finally Facing A Top 5 Opponent And Still Improving Ahead Of UFC Austin
Arman Tsarukyan has been calling for an opportunity to face the top names in the lightweight division for quite some time, but no one ever answered the call.
When the promising 27-year-old’s bout with Renato Moicano at the end of April was scuttled after the Brazilian was forced to withdraw, Tsarukyan lobbied for someone — anyone — to step up and face him, but again, it was crickets from those in the rankings, and especially the select group stationed ahead of him in the Top 15.
Veteran Joaquim Silva eventually stepped up, and despite getting clocked with a clean shot from the powerhouse Brazilian in the second, Tsarukyan was able to avoid further damage, regroup, and secure a finish midway through the final round.
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“Every fight gives me experience, and now I know what I gotta do if I miss a punch,” Tsarukyan said with a smile. “It’s good, but sometimes I shouldn’t be (over) confident.
Arman Tsarukyan Fight Week Interview | UFC Austin
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Arman Tsarukyan Fight Week Interview | UFC Austin
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“You never know what can happen during the fight. I missed one punch, but even when I missed, I knew I was going to finish this guy in the third round. I just believed in myself and finished him.”
The victory elevated the Armenian to 7-1 inside the Octagon since his short-notice debut loss to current champ Islam Makhachev, and once again left him lobbying for a chance to face someone ranked ahead of him. This time, however, his call was answered.
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Saturday night, Tsarukyan faces off with fourth-ranked Beneil Dariush in the main event of the UFC’s return to the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.
“I was very excited when they told me I was going to fight with (the guy) ranked No. 4,” began the talented lightweight, who will be making the second main event appearance of his UFC career after dropping a debated unanimous decision to Mateusz Gamrot last June. “It was my dream to fight someone from the Top 5 because I couldn’t fight anybody in the Top 10 because they try and avoid me, so that’s why I’m excited and happy to fight December 2nd with Beneil Dariush.
“To be honest, he’s good everywhere; he’s a very well-rounded fighter,” he said in regards to Dariush, who returns to action after having his eight-fight winning streak snapped by former champion Charles Oliveira in June at UFC 289. “He has a lot of fights in the UFC, he has good experience. His conditioning is not that high level — he gets tired in the third round — and he’s never fought five rounds. So I will try to make him tired and finish him.
“I have to find the key to win using my IQ.”
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After frequently petitioning for this type of opportunity, this weekend’s clash with Dariush is Tsarukyan’s chance to justify his belief that he’s ready to compete with the absolute best in the division, which would then give credence to the decisions made by those that opted against sharing the Octagon with him in the past.
Because of his history with the current champion, fans and media are always going to have an easy line to connect the former opponents again and, given his overall success, there is no denying that Tsarukyan is closing in on title contention.
But in order to get there, he knows that he not only needs to beat Dariush, but make a statement in Saturday’s finale, which is why he’s focused on the task at hand and nothing else.
Arman Tsarukyan Living The American Top Team Lifestyle | UFC Austin
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“I’m not thinking about what is going to be after Dariush because this is a big challenge for me,” said Tsarukyan, who carries a 20-3 record onto the Octagon this weekend in the Texas capital. “My mind is focused on Dariush and December 2nd.
“If I finish him and I can talk, then I can think about the next fight coming up, but now is just Dariush, get the victory, show a good performance. I want to show I can finish guys from the Top 5, not just guys that are unranked or in the Top 10.”
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And that finishing piece is key for him.
“If I barely beat him, how can I talk about a title fight?” said Tsarukyan, explaining why a stoppage victory of some sort is of paramount importance to him. “If Oliveira knocked him out in the first round and I barely beat him, I can’t talk about a title fight, so that’s why my focus is gonna be on the finish.
“I have a game plan, so I just want to follow my game plan during the fight, and I believe it will give me a finish. I believe in the game plan, in myself, and I know I can (finish him).”
Now that he’s finally getting his wish to face a Top 5 opponent, I asked Tsarukyan whether he took pride in the fact that so many competitors were hesitant to share the Octagon with him; if he could recognize that his inability to secure the opportunities that he has craved this entire time came from the fact that everyone universally recognizes that he’s a major threat in the 155-pound weight class?
“The fighters don’t know how to beat me,” he said, a hint of a smile darting across his face. “Maybe the judges can give them a victory; that’s it.
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“It’s not my prime right now, and I have a lot of things to improve,” he added, underscoring what should be an unsettling reality for the rest of the lightweight class. “Four months ago, some positions, I couldn’t submit people; now I can submit people. MMA is a very difficult sport, and you can always improve everywhere.
“Hopefully in one year, I’ll be in my prime and I wanna keep that for three or four years — until 31, 32 years old — and then retire.”
Maybe all those competitors that steered clear of Tsarukyan should have taken their chances with him earlier, because if the best is yet to come, the opportunity to beat the ascending standout may have already passed.
UFC Fight Night: Dariush vs Tsarukyan took place live from Moody Center in Austin, Texas on December 2, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
