After Snapping 19-Fight Win Streak, Arman Tsarukyan, Who Gave Islam Makhachev His Toughest Fight Yet, Calls Him Out Again at UFC Vegas 66

The last event of the year 2022 for promotion, UFC Vegas 66, took place at UFC APEX on Dec. 17, the event almost flew under the radar in its build-up, the stacked event offered exciting matchups and high-paced action. Featuring Arman Tsarukyan and Damir Ismagulov, the co-main event of the fight card offered both fighters a chance to move in the ranks and a likely path to the UFC gold in 2023. Markedly, the Saturday night fight involving the two lightweights stood on the fans’ expectations. While both the fighters with exciting resumes and future title contender potential squared each other, it was Tsarukyan who triumphed in their encounter. Thus, strengthening his title contender cause and assuring himself of big fights in the next year.

Notably, both fighters engaged in a back-and-forth fight where the Armenian fighter scored a victory via unanimous decision after a dominant display.

How did the fans react to the fight?

Markedly, the fighter who got his hand raised in the Octagon called out the current UFC champion Islam Makhachev in his post-fight cage interview. Earlier in the same interview, he demanded the ’50 Gs’ bonus after an assertive outing.

What happened in the fight at UFC Vegas 66?

Both the fighters adopted the quick action approach and Tsarukyan adopted the aggressor’s role. Similarly, ‘Ahalkalakets’ got the leg of his opponent and successfully attempted a takeover and got his back while Ismagulov struggled to break his grip while standing. The Armenian fighter, later in the round, again got the back of his opponent after an effective reversal.

Knowing that he lacked behind Tsarukyan, ‘Qazaq’ brought a barrage of punches to salvage some points. However, round 1 belonged to Tsarukyan.

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The 26-year-old fighter’s left kick seemed to find its desired spot in the second round and, on a counterattack, again got the back of the Kazakhstan fighter. Therefore, Khabarovsk MMA team representative dictated the pace of the bout in both rounds.

Similarly, it appeared only a matter of time before the fighter would submit his opponent. With less than 2 minutes to go in round 2, Tsarukyan’s grip and standing grappling skills were all over the place, and thus had a ground control time of around 5 minutes in the first two rounds. Notably, he attempted 16 takedowns in the first two rounds. And hence, sealed the match in the first two rounds itself.

On the other hand, for the 24-1 record holder, the only route that led to winning was a finish.

But, the dominance displayed by the 18-3 record holder, whose 5-win streak broke after his last fight against top-notch fighter, M. Gamrot, continued in the final round too. And the fans could witness the same play and tactics executed by Tsarukyan in the final round of the bout.

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What do you think of this bout? Let us know in the comments below.