Arman Tsarukyan was once again at the center of chaos on fight night, and this time he wasn’t even competing. The UFC lightweight contender went to the Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano fight at the Intuit Dome earlier in the evening as part of teammate David Mgoyan‘s corner.
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However, things took a turn for the worst when welterweight contender Namo Fazil defeated Jake Babian with a shocking second-round anaconda choke submission in the final prelim fight.
Moments after receiving the microphone for his post-fight interview, Fazil publicly called out ‘Ahalkalakets,’ claiming the two “needed to talk.” Later, when he walked past him after the win, the altercation fans expected by now finally broke out.
Video from the arena showed Tsarukyan exchanging heated words with Fazil before trying to jump the barrier separating the crowd from the fighter walkway. Security stopped him, but the situation did not end there.
Arman Tsarukyan was escorted from his cageside seat at #RouseyCarano after attempting to jump the barrier to confront winner Namo Fazil. (via @1khathaway)
‘Ahalkalakets,’ along with some of his men, tried to confront Fazil again backstage before being prevented by security, which included Most Valuable Promotions founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian. Before things could escalate any further, the UFC lightweight was escorted out.
To add some context to this very messy situation, tension had been brewing throughout fight week. Namo Fazil had taken issue with Arman Tsarukyan’s past comments on Kurdish people during a livestream, in which the UFC star referred to them as “gypsies” while talking about Kurdistan.
“We train at the same gym,” Fazil wrote on his Instagram story. “Call me a gyps little man, when you see me. @arm_011 come and call me a gyps when you see me, okay?
“Let me finish my fight (and) I will see you soon.”
So, when Fazil walked past Arman Tsarukyan after the win, the bad blood came to the surface for all to see again. Ironically, it overshadowed Namo Fazil’s breakout performance. The Kurdish fighter survived a chaotic first round before putting pressure on Jake Babian and ending the bout in less than a minute in round 2 to win via an anaconda choke.
But by the end of the night, fans were talking less about the submission itself and more about Arman Tsarukyan going mano-o-mano at Netflix’s first-ever MMA event. But can we even act surprised?
The Armenian Bruce Wayne has the tendency to get himself into controversial situation almost everywhere he goes. Swinging at a fan? Check. Headbutting Dan Hooker? That was an obvious. Want someone to strikeDan Hooker in a wrestling match? Arman Tsarukyan is the man for the job.
Now, with this, add in the frustration of being backup for UFC White House, and you can see why the Netflix MMA altercation was something many fight fans saw coming.
Arman Tsarukyan claims being a backup for UFC White House ‘sucks’
Part of the frustration stems from Arman Tsarukyan’s current situation in the lightweight division. It’s no secret that many believe he should have already fought for the undisputed title. Instead, the UFC placed him in the backup role for the UFC Freedom 250 main event between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje.
And even though ‘Ahalkalakets’ admitted he accepted the opportunity, he also bluntly claimed that being the backup just “sucks”.
“It’s confirmed, but I haven’t signed a contract yet,” Tsarukyan said on the Jaxxon Podcast. “I’m excited that if something happens, they’ll call me. I’m the first guy who is going to jump in, and I’m getting ready for that.
I’m already on my diet, but it always sucks to be backup, but now I have to do it.”
Still, the role also shows how highly the UFC values him despite the controversies surrounding his name. Arman Tsarukyan has repeatedly frustrated the promotion, especially Dana White, with his aforementioned antics.
Now add the Netflix altercation into the mix, and you can see why the UFC refrains from putting him into the title picture. But now that he is officially the backup, if something goes wrong with the White House main event, he is still the first name the UFC plans to call.
