Max Holloway Shocked at Arman Tsarukyan’s Dominant KO Win
Max Holloway gives a surprising reaction to Arman Tsarukyan’s knockout win against Mauricio Ruffy.
Arman Tsarukyan has been knocking at the UFC lightweight door for a long time now. Trying to win the gold, the Armenian fighter’s career suffered a significant injury setback following UFC 300. Ahead of UFC 311, he had to withdraw from the fight against Islam Makhachev owing to a back complication.
Cut to 2026, as ‘Ahalkalakets’ faced off against Mauricio Ruffy, the expectations were quite high. While Tsarukyan proved his worth, his dominant performance left the likes of Max Holloway stunned.
Max Holloway Shares Thoughts on Tsarukyan's KO via Social Media
Coming into the fight, there was a lot of back and forth between the two. While Ruffy looked confident about pulling off an upset, Tsarukyan clearly had other ideas. Right from the first minute, the Armenian dominated Ruffy. As the first round was approaching its end, ‘Ahalkalakets’ successfully knocked out the Brazilian fighter.
Reacting to the same, Holloway said, “OH SH*T. Holy sh*t. That's crazy bro, such a short elbow. That was nasty... congrats to Arman."
Ahead of the bout, Holloway predicted that Tsarukyan would be using his wrestling skills to break Ruffy down. But the manner in which the 29-year-old showed his elite striking had ‘Blessed’ significantly impressed.
Meanwhile, having won against Ruffy, Tsarukyan has directly challenged Justin Gaethje.
Arman Tsarukyan Has Stern Message for Justin Gaethje
After securing the win, Tsarukyan seems to be oozing confidence. Trying to shoot his shot for the championship, he has now challenged Gaethje immediately. As the Armenian star did not take any significant damage, the 29-year-old claimed that he wanted to come back quickly and fight for the title.
Tsarukyan also had a message for the champion. He said, “I wanna fight for the title. If he wants to wait without a reason, he should leave the title, and we fight for the interim. For me, it doesn't matter who I'm gonna fight, but I need a title fight."
The UFC has not yet confirmed who Tsarukyan or Gaethje will face next.
