Arman Tsarukyan returns to grappling this Saturday at Hype Armenia
Arman Tsarukyan is set for one more grappling excursion, though this time it will be a return to Hype Fighting Championship, where he is undefeated.
This Saturday, on Aug. 1, Arman Tsarukyan returns to the world of grappling. He will face Indian social media fitness influencer Ankit Baiyanpuria in a submission grappling match at Hype Armenia. Tsarukyan will be determined to emerge victorious on his road back to the UFC, where he could be next in line for a lightweight title fight.
Arman Tsarukyan vs. Ankit Baiyanpuria
Arman Tsarukyan is no stranger to grappling matches. While he is yet to have an MMA fight in 2026, despite talk of an upcoming UFC bout, he has kept himself busy with dips into both freestyle wrestling and submission grappling. He first wrestled Lance Palmer, a four-time NCAA Division I All-American, at RAF 05, winning the match via technical fall in the first period. Tsarukyan followed that win by taking on Georgio Poullas, an NCAA Division I freestyle wrestler who gained internet fame for filming videos in which he offered to pay anyone who successfully took him down. The pair clashed at RAF 06, with Tsarukyan winning via points before celebrations were cut short by a post-match brawl.
THE CHAMP IS BACK. 👑
Arman Tsarukyan VS Ankit Baiyanpuria@ArmanUfc VS @baiyanpuria
August 1st. 🗓️
Yerevan Armenia. 🇦🇲
Powered by @1winPro#HypeFighting #HypeArmenia pic.twitter.com/OVt5hLOsxx
Their rivalry continued into RAF 07, where Tsarukyan, again, defeated Poullas via decision, before going on to beat MMA bantamweight legend Urijah Faber at RAF 08, then Keelon Jimison and UFC lightweight legend Tony Ferguson at RAF 09 and RAF 10 respectively. Unfortunately for Tsarukyan, his undefeated run came to an end against ex-UFC welterweight Colby Covington, who defeated him via points at RAF 11 to capture the inaugural RAF cruiserweight crossover title. Where he remains unbeaten, however, is Hype Fighting, where he first faced UFC middleweight striking dynamo Sharabutdin Magomedov in a grappling match. Despite Tsarukyan's grappling experience, the match ended in a draw. Later, at Hype Brazil, he was scheduled to face Poullas, who withdrew from the match, reportedly due to a preference to face Tsarukyan in freestyle wrestling instead.
This led to former UFC flyweight Muhammad Mokaev stepping in on short notice. The size disadvantage proved too much for Mokaev, and he was quickly submitted by Tsarukyan in round one. Now, Ankit Baiyanpuria will hope to do what others have failed to against Tsarukyan under the Hype Fighting Championship banner. However, Baiyanpuria has no combat sports experience and will need more than a miracle to emerge victorious.
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