UFC lightweight contender explains why Arman Tsarukyan’s game plan worked perfectly against Mauricio Ruffy
A UFC lightweight contender breaks down Arman Tsarukyan’s brutal KO of Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 and explains why his pressure and patience worked so well.
Arman Tsarukyan brutally knocked out Mauricio Ruffy in the co-main event of UFC 331 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, last Saturday. This victory has probably earned him his long-awaited title shot, and his performance has received widespread praise from the MMA community.
Recently, UFC lightweight contender Quillan Salkilld praised Tsarukyan for his incredible game plan against Ruffy and broke down the fight for fans.
Quillan Salkilld breaks down Arman Tsarukyan’s KO win over Ruffy at UFC 331
Ruffy showed incredible takedown defense that led to Tsarukyan pressing forward and trapping him against the fence. ‘Batman’ showed constant takedown threats, and in the clinch, the Armenian star found an opening and landed brutal elbows that put the elite striker in the shadow realm in the first round.
Salkilld reacted to Tsarukyan’s impressive win during a live stream with ‘Full Violence Gang’. He broke down the sequence and explained why ‘Batman’s approach worked so well.
Salkilld believes Tsarukyan did the right thing by forcing Ruffy toward the cage instead of trying too hard for a takedown in the middle of the octagon. The Australian feels ‘Batman’s pressure gave Ruffy fewer options to escape. Once the Brazilian’s back was against the fence, the Armenian was able to attack without giving him much room to move, and emphasized that it was a totally unexpected elbow.
“If someone's not like overextending on their shots and doesn't want to get taken down, and is like trying to back up. It's hard to like shoot in. Arman did the right thing like how I was saying how he has to like push him to the cage and then shoot so there's like nowhere to run. And he was like here.It was so close on keeping hands down in the fence that when Arman threw an elbow at the top it was just like unexpected,” Salkilld said.
Salkilld also highlighted how patiently Tsarukyan approached the sequence.
“Arman did the right thing here. It's like he didn't even throw anything at the feet. He just like kind of walked him down and threw a few things and walked him till he got his back on the cage and then shoot,” Salkilld continued.
Check out Quillan Salkilld’s comments below:
Many expected Tsarukyan to take down Ruffy and control him over five rounds or secure a submission to get the job done, but the Armenian star shocked everyone with brutal elbows that left the Brazilian crashing to the canvas, unconscious. He earned the performance of the night bonus for the victory.
Arman Tsarukyan makes a statement as Quillan Salkilld eyes Paddy Pimblett
As for Salkilld, he also left a lasting impression on the fans with his first-round submission victory over a veteran like Mateusz Gamrot in his most recent outing back in August. Since he expressed his desire to get the fight against someone from the top five-ranked lightweight, he became particularly interested in the Paddy Pimblett matchup.
Tsarukyan has cemented himself as next in line for the title shot with his KO victory over Ruffy, and it's likely he will get the opportunity to fight reigning lightweight champion Justin Gaethje.
