Arman Tsarukyan fires back at "streamer" criticism after scary KO of Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331

Arman Tsarukyan appears to have fired back at those who've been critical of his devoting time to streaming and other activities as a social media influencer whilst being a high-level MMA fighter. 

Certain sections of the combat sports realm had warned that the time and energy that Tsarukyan has devoted to extensively streaming with influencers such as Nina Drama (Nina-Marie Daniele) and N3on would adversely affect his performances inside the Octagon. Well, the UFC star put those doubts to rest, at least for the time being, with a dominant win at UFC 331. 

Arman Tsarukyan scores scary KO of Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331; hits back at criticism of his streaming and influencer work

Arman Tsarukyan entered the co-headlining match of UFC 331 -- in Los Angeles on September 19 -- on a five-fight win streak dating back to 2022. Brazilian striking maestro Mauricio Ruffy was standing across from him in the matchup, boasting a two-fight winning streak. 

Many believed that Ruffy, with his unorthodox striking techniques and knockout power, would pose a unique threat to the grappling savant. Nevertheless, Tsarukyan spectacularly stopped his foe with a thunderous elbow followed by another, in a clinch situation at that, winning by first-round KO. 

Taking to social media, the Georgia-born Armenian-Russian fighter apparently took aim at the skeptics who often label him a streamer over a fighter. Capping off his X post with a 'Yawning Face' emoji, seemingly signaling his sarcasm, Tsarukyan wrote, "You just got slept by a streamer." 

You just got slept by a streamer 🥱

— Arman Tsarukyan UFC (@ArmanUfc) September 20, 2026

Moreover, he alluded to the consensus that the impressive win has likely solidified his standing as the top contender to challenge for the UFC lightweight championship next. "Title shot secured." Tsarukyan further wrote, adding a celebratory 'Oncoming Fist' emoji. 

Title shot secured 👊🏼

— Arman Tsarukyan UFC (@ArmanUfc) September 20, 2026

Arman Tsarukyan eyes maiden UFC title shot after missing out on it last year

Arman Tsarukyan walked out to influencer N3on's song -- "She Wanna Hang With A Indian" -- for his official fighter entrance at the high-profile UFC 331 event. He also had N3on as one of his cornermen, alongside former UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev, for the matchup. 

Tsarukyan, even prior to the fight, had consistently maintained that he's grateful for his multidisciplinary professional pursuits and would like to continue growing his wealth by fighting and content creation as an influencer. 

The Armenian "Batman" recently credited Nina Drama for helping his popularity reach tremendous heights, enabling him to use his background as a professional MMA fighter to establish himself as a prominent social media influencer as well. 

Tsarukyan had missed out on his maiden UFC title shot, as a last-minute back injury ruled him out of a UFC lightweight title fight against then-lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev in January of last year. However, with his win over Ruffy at UFC 331, he's now staking his claim to a title shot against reigning lightweight champion Justin Gaethje. 

Furthermore, Tsarukyan is set for a freestyle wrestling match against Dillon Danis -- for the inaugural RAF middleweight crossover belt -- at RAF 14 on October 23.