Arman Tsarukyan Shocks Daniel Cormier, Max Holloway, & More with Dominant Win

Arman Tsarukyan was touted as the favorite to win the UFC 331 co-main event, but despite that, most critics thought that Mauricio Ruffy would not go down without a fight. In the beginning, things did look a bit rough for the Armenian fighter. As the round progressed, Tsarukyan got into his element. Pressing Ruffy aggressively, the former UFC lightweight contender finished his job within the first round. 

During the exchange, what surprised a lot of people was how Tsarukyan switched his tactics entirely. Instead of going for ground and pound, Tsarukyan finished off the Brazilian with a vicious elbow. And such a turn of events garnered some interesting reactions from fellow UFC fighters and legends. 

Former two-division champion Daniel Cormier said, “If you gave me 100 outcome, the outcome we got tonight would never be one I would have chosen. I would never have guessed that Arman would one, knock him out. Two, knock him out with a left elbow.”

He added, “After landing said left elbow, holding him up and then hitting him with another elbow before he eventually let him fall to the ground and got the finish. It was probably Arman's best performance. He needed that.”

Cormier is not the only one who is surprised. Max Holloway, too, expressed his astonishment at the outcome. 

In a recent video uploaded on Holloway’s X account, ‘Blessed’ seemed totally caught off guard with the finish. He stated, “OH SH*T. Holy sh*t. That's crazy bro, such a short elbow. That was nasty... congrats to Arman."

UFC CEO Dana White said, “I mean, he's completely flipped everything, turned it around, and he could not be in a better position than he's in right now." Interestingly, despite impressing the majority, Tsarukyan failed to win over Paddy Pimblett. 

Paddy Pimblett Unimpressed with Arman Tsarukyan

Pimblett did keep a close eye on the UFC 331 co-main event. Trying to assess Tsarukyan’s game plan, it looks like ‘Baddy’ is feeling confident about his chances of beating the Armenian. Dissecting Tsarukyan’s technique, Pimblett criticized how the initial exchanges did not look good for the 29-year-old. 

Pimblett said, “I thought he looked pretty s— up until the point of the elbow,” he continued. “His eye is messed up already, I wish he never landed that just to see how the second and third would have went. was just thinking of wrestling, thinking of wrestling.”

Thus, with a lot going on, it remains to be seen what’s next.