We expected to see Arman Tsarukyan the wrestler and not Arman Tsarukyan the fighter on Saturday night. By the end of the sixth Real American Freestyle event, however, we ended up seeing both.
Chaos erupted inside the Mullett Arena in Tempe, Arizona on Saturday night just moments after Tsarukyan won a freestyle wrestling match against decorated wrestler George Poullas.
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Tsarukyan was seen shoving Poullas to the ground right after the match was brought to a halt, and seemingly connecting with a right-hand punch to the head as well. Over a dozen others stormed the mat after the attempted cheap shot, some trying to join in on the fight, with most attempting to diffuse the situation. Commentary regretted the incident as the crowd enthusiastically chanted “USA.”
While it seemed as though the scuffle had come to a close, the brawl briefly picked back up near the venue’s stage. Everyone was eventually separated and the show continued on with a main event between Henry Cejudo and Urijah Faber, which didn’t end in a huge brawl.
Tsarukyan showed seemingly no remorse for the attack afterward, posting “F*** around and find out” on his X account later that evening.
The latest appearance from Tsarukyan is certainly not the first time he has been seen providing some violence outside of the cage. The lightweight contender was fined $25,000 by the Nevada Athletic Commission for getting into a physical altercation with a fan before his fight at UFC 300.
He also got in hot water last fall for headbutting opponent Dan Hooker during a weigh-in, a move which UFC’s Dana White later said caused the promotion to pass up on him for an interim title opportunity.
