Arman Tsarukyan got a little heated Saturday at Real American Freestyle.
(USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect / Reuters)
Arman Tsarukyan brought a little too much MMA to a wrestling event on Saturday.
The No. 2-ranked UFC lightweight contender triggered a massive brawl at RAF 6 at the end of his match against Georgio Poullas, shoving his opponent down after time expired and throwing punches. All hell immediately broke loose, with more than a dozen people flooding the mat to either break up the fight or start a new one.
The chaos ended with three-time UFC title challenger Colby Covington escorting Poullas backstage, while fights also broke out in a crowd that had been chanting "USA" in favor of Poullas.
It had been a chippy match already, with the two wrestlers exchanging slaps and otherwise rough activity, and then tensions boiled over as the final seconds ticked away.
This is only the latest such incident for Tsarukyan, who famously punched a fan before his fight at UFC 300 in 2024 and allegedly broke Dan Hooker's nose with a head-butt at weigh-ins last November. He was competing in his second event for Real American Freestyle after dominating Lance Palmer at RAF 5 in January.
It remains to be seen how Saturday's antics will affect him as far as the UFC goes. He's currently in a holding pattern, waiting for lightweight champion Ilia Topuria to face interim champ Justin Gaethje at some point in the (hopefully) near future. Many believed he was already deserving of a title shot after defeating Hooker, but all of this certainly won't be helping his reputation.
