Arman Tsarukyan wasn’t sure he’d be a UFC fighter following his UFC debut.
Tsarukyan will fight Charles Oliveira in a Lightweight No. 1 contender matchup next weekend at UFC 300 (Sat., April 13, 2024) inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. However, in 2019, “Akhalkalakets” did not think he would ever get a chance to really thrive in the promotion because he was nervous he’d be released following his UFC debut loss.
“My hardest fight in the UFC was my second one [against Olivier Aubin-Mercier]. I lost to Islam [Makhachev] and flew to Canada with no coaches,” Tsarukyan told Red Corner MMA. “I felt nervous as I thought that if I’d lost, they would’ve removed me from the UFC. 0-2 in the UFC and my career is over. So, I was scared of embarrassing myself.”
“I won the first round, and the second round was really close. And it was in Canada,” Tsarukyan continued. “So, I am sitting in my corner and saying to myself: ‘If I lose the third one, it’s over for me. I managed to win the fight, although the UFC didn’t like the way I got the win. For a couple of years, they didn’t treat me so well. I was not getting as many fights as I wanted … but then they realized my true potential.”
Following his tremendous UFC debut, Tsarukyan has gone 8-1 inside the promotion, only dropping a controversial decision to Mateusz Gamrot in his first main event and is one win away from rematching Makhachev – in what could be a gigantic fight for Russia.
It’s probably a good idea that Tsarukyan kept his job.
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