Is the Rivalry Settled? Arman Tsarukyan Reacts to Defeating Dillon Danis
Arman Tsarukyan just beat Dillon Danis in convincing fashion at RAF 14, and he spoke about the status of his rivalry with Danis.
The bad blood between Arman Tsarukyan and Dillon Danis reached a boiling point at Real American Freestyle 14 in Las Vegas, but once the whistle blew, it was total dominance. Tsarukyan needed roughly a minute to run through Danis in Friday night's main event, securing a 10-0 technical fall in the first period to capture the RAF middleweight crossover championship.
Tsarukyan set a relentless pace right out of the gate. The top-ranked UFC lightweight contender landed two quick takedowns and executed a series of clean turns on the mat, building an insurmountable 10-0 lead before Danis could even land on the scoreboard. But the drama did not stop with the final whistle. As Danis tried to stand up, Tsarukyan stepped on him, prompting security guards to quickly swarm the mat to prevent another brawl from breaking out.
Settling the Score on the Mat
While security managed to keep tempers from completely boiling over, the pair eventually shared a brief handshake before the official decision. During his post-match media availability, Tsarukyan reacted to the wild week of altercations, which began with a chaotic press conference brawl after Danis showed up wearing a shirt insulting Khamzat Chimaev, and explained why Danis kept things relatively quiet after the loss.
"He's OK with us because he knows what was gonna happen if he did something, so. We were ready for that," Tsarukyan said regarding the tense aftermath.
The win moved Tsarukyan to an 8-1 record under the RAF banner, continuing his strong momentum while staying active outside the UFC octagon. Meanwhile, Danis dropped to 0-3 in RAF competition following previous freestyle defeats against Colby Covington and Chimaev. While Danis succeeded in generating pre-fight headlines with his trash talk, Tsarukyan ensured the definitive statement was made on the mat.
