Tag: arman tsarukyan

coach confirms UFC return of Charles Oliveira amid links to Arman Tsarukyan fight: ‘The champ is back’

Charles Oliveira coach confirms UFC return links to Arman Tsarukyan fight the champ is backFormer undisputed lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira is “back” according to his coach, Jorge Patino Macaco, amid recent rumblings of…

Charles Oliveira coach confirms UFC return links to Arman Tsarukyan fight the champ is back

Former undisputed lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira is “back” according to his coach, Jorge Patino Macaco, amid recent rumblings of a title-eliminator clash with surging Armenian contender, Arman Tsarukyan early next yea.r

Oliveira, the current number one ranked lightweight contender, has been sidelined since he co-headlined UFC 289 back in June of this year, stopping the winning streak of recent main event feature, Beneil Dariush with a stunning opening round ground strikes TKO win.

And booked to make his return to the Octagon at UFC 294 back in October of this year, Oliveira was forced to withdraw from a championship rematch with Islam Makhachev in Abu Dhabi, UAE – after suffering a nasty laceration over his right eyebrow ahead of the scheduled title re-run. 

As for Tsarukyan, the Armenian contender is in the midst of an impressive three-fight winning run, most recently stopping common-foe, Dariush with a blistering first round KO at the beginning of this month at UFC Austin. 

And calling for a title-eliminator with Sao Paulo finishing ace, Oliveira if he misses out on a title fight rematch with prior Octagon rival, Makhachev, Tsarukyan and the Brazilian appear to both have news regarding their next fight on the horizon.

Charles Oliveira’s UFC return confirmed by coach

Posting on his official Instagram Stories, the above-mentioned Patino Macaco shared an image of Oliveira – with the caption, “The Champ is back @charlesdobronx.” 

As for Tsarukyan – who clinched the number four rank in the division with his knockout win over Dariush, the Armenian posted “Big news is coming” on his official Instagram account.

Would you like to see Charles Oliveira fight Arman Tsarukyan next?

A Dozen UFC Austin Fighters, including Bobby Green and Beneil Dariush, hit with six-Month medical suspension

UFC AustinUFC Austin delivered some of the biggest knockouts of 2023. Unfortunately, that also means that a lot of medical…

UFC Austin

UFC Austin delivered some of the biggest knockouts of 2023. Unfortunately, that also means that a lot of medical suspensions were handed out.

Following last weekend’s return to The Lone Star State, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) slapped a dozen fighters on the night with a six-month month medical suspension. Most notably, Bobby Green, Beneil Dariush, and Arman Tsarukyan were all given 180 days unless medically cleared.

Tsarukyan walked away the winner in the UFC Austin headliner, scoring a 64-second knockout against Dariush to establish himself as the next legitimate contender in the light heavyweight division.

Bobby Green found himself on the wrong side of a first-round finish at UFC Austin, suffering a brutal beating at the hands of rising 155’er Jalin Turner.

The referee overseeing the contest, Kerry Hatley, was heavily criticized for allowing the fight to go on entirely too long. UFC CEO Dana White called it one of the worst stoppages he had ever seen. Michael Bisping, who was on call for the event, agreed.

You can see a full list of the UFC Austin medical suspensions below:

  • Arman Tsarukyan: Suspended a minimum of 30 days and also suspended 180 days unless medically cleared.
  • Beneil Dariush: Suspended a minimum of 60 days and also suspended 180 days unless medically cleared.
  • Jalin Turner: Suspended until Dec. 10.
  • Bobby Green: Suspended a minimum of 60 days and also suspended 180 days unless medically cleared.
  • Deiveson Figueiredo: Suspended until Dec. 17.
  • Rob Font: Suspended until Jan. 2, 2024.
  • Sean Brady: Suspended at minimum until Dec. 12, and also suspended 180 days unless medically cleared.
  • Kelvin Gastelum: Suspended until Dec. 12.
  • Joaquim Silva: Suspended a minimum of 60 days and also suspended 180 days unless medically cleared.
  • Clay Guida: Suspended a minimum of 30 days and also suspended 180 days unless medically cleared.
  • Dustin Stoltzfus: Suspended until Dec. 10.
  • Punahele Soriano: Suspended until Dec. 10.
  • Miesha Tate: Suspended a minimum of 30 days and also suspended 180 days unless medically cleared.
  • Julia Avila: Suspended a minimum of 45 days and also suspended 180 days unless medically cleared.
  • Cody Brundage: Suspended until Dec. 10.
  • Zachary Reese: Suspended a minimum of 30 days and also suspended 180 days unless medically cleared.
  • Drakkar Klose: Suspended until Dec. 10.
  • Joe Solecki: Suspended until Feb. 1, 2024.
  • Rodolfo Bellato: Suspended a minimum of 30 days and also suspended 180 days unless medically cleared.
  • Ihor Potieria: Suspended until Feb. 1, 2024.
  • Jared Gooden: Suspended a minimum of 45 days and also suspended 180 days unless medically cleared.
  • Wellington Turman: Suspended a minimum of 45 days and also suspended 180 days unless medically cleared.
  • Veronica Hardy: Suspended until Dec. 12.
  • Jamey-Lyn Horth: Suspended until Jan. 2, 2024.

It should be noted that fighters often return long before serving out the full length of their medical suspensions, so long as they are cleared by a licensed physician.

Which UFC Austin finish was your favorite?

List courtesy of MMA Fighting

Arman Tsarukyan calls for title eliminator fight with UFC star Charles Oliveira: ‘Let’s figure out who’s number one’

Arman Tsarukyan calls out Charles Oliveira for title eliminator after UFC Austin let's see who's number oneOff the back of his stunning opening round knockout win over Beneil Dariush at UFC Austin over the course…

Arman Tsarukyan calls out Charles Oliveira for title eliminator after UFC Austin let's see who's number one

Off the back of his stunning opening round knockout win over Beneil Dariush at UFC Austin over the course of last weekend, surging Armenian contender, Arman Tsarukyan has called for a title-eliminator fight with former undisputed champion, Charles Oliveira – urging the Brazilian to determine the next challenger to Islam Makhachev’s throne.

Tsarukyan, who headlined UFC Fight Night Austin over the course of last weekend in Texas, landed a stunning opening round knockout win over the above-mentioned common-foe, Dariush – stopping the Iranian grappler with a thunderous right hook inside just a minute of the first frame. 

As for Oliveira, the former undisputed lightweight champion currently holds the number one rank in the official divisional rankings, most recently turning in a stunning first round ground strikes TKO win of his own against Dariush back in June of this year, returning to the winner’s enclosure.

Forced from a slated October rematch with Makhachev through a nasty laceration ahead of a UFC 294 title rematch, Oliveira has been pegged to fight the Russian as soon as March of next year by color-commentator, Daniel Cormier, however, a pairing has yet to be booked officially.

Arman Tsarukyan calls out Charles Oliveira

And as far as the newly-minted number four rated, Tsarukyan, a title-eliminator against the Sao Paulo favorite should be made next by the promotion.

“If (Charles) Oliveira thinks he is number one contender, and he’s got the fight, let’s fight and let’s figure out who is number one,” Arman Tsarukyan told MMA Fighting. “If he wins, he can go to the title, if I win, I’ll go.”

“He pulled out from the last fight and he just beat Beneil Dariush and lost to Islam (Makhachev) so it’s like 99% he’s going to lose to Islam [again],” Arman Tsarukyan continued. “So, if they want to see that fight, yeah go ahead, but if they want to see a new generation, new fighter, they gotta put me on that fight and I’m going to show the world like who is the best in our division.” 

Who wins in a future fight: Arman Tsarukyan or Charles Oliviera?

Arman Tsarukyan Enjoyed Watching Bobby Green’s Head ‘Bouncing on the Canvas’ in Controversial Finish

Arman TsarukyanIt’s safe to say that there is no love lost between UFC Austin headliners Arman Tsarukyan and Bobby Green….

Arman Tsarukyan

It’s safe to say that there is no love lost between UFC Austin headliners Arman Tsarukyan and Bobby Green.

The two lightweight standouts had vastly different experiences in The Lone Star State on Saturday night. Tsarukyan established himself as a legitimate title contender in the lightweight division with a stunning 64-second knockout of Beneil Dariush in the main event, while Green suffered yet another setback via a brutal first-round knockout against rising star Jalin Turner in the evening’s co-main.

Green’s loss came with a bit of controversy as veteran referee Kerry Hatley allowed ‘King’ to take a plethora of unprotected shots on the ground before finally stepping in. UFC CEO Dana White called it one of the worst stoppages he had ever seen, but Arman Tsarukyan certainly seemed to enjoy it.

Ahead of fight night, things got physical between Tsarukyan and Green in a hotel lobby after ‘Ahalkalakets’ took exception to some disparaging comments Green made about his particular style of fighting.

“He was talking sh*t about me,” Tsarukyan said at the post-fight press conference. “I just came and asked him, ‘Bro, don’t talk sh*t about me.’ Because where I’m from you can’t just talk, you’ve got to answer for your words. So that’s why I just wanted to tell him don’t talk sh*t about me because if you’re going to talk sh*t, we’ve got to meet and talk. So he pushed me, I pushed him, and that’s it. Done. Hopefully, I’m not going to see him again in my life.

“I was super, super happy when his head was bouncing on the canvas.”

Tsarukyan’s victory over Dariush should put him firmly within the top five of the lightweight division come Monday. He has now won three in a row and eight of his last nine inside the Octagon.

“Maybe I was born confident,” Tsarukyan said. “To be honest, I train a lot. I train in the best gym with the best fighters in the world and I feel like I’m the best, that’s why I’m confident. I saw a lot of Armenian flags and I thought, oh my God, that gives me different emotions. I was very calm and when I saw my guys around me I said, ‘No way someone can beat me tonight so I’m going to die or win.’”

Arman Tsarukyan Ready to Run it back with Islam Makhachev

Following his quick finish, Tsarukyan called out reigning lightweight world champion Islam Makhachev. It’s unlikely that ‘Ahalkalakets’ gets the next shot at the 155-pound crown with both Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje waiting their turn at the champ, but the callout makes a lot of sense considering Tsarukyan’s history with the ‘Dagestani Destroyer.

In April 2019, Tsarukyan made his promotional debut against Makhachev and was decisively decisioned. He expects their inevitable rematch to produce a very different result.

“I always think of the best-case scenario and I feel like I can knock [Makhachev] out in the first round,” Tsarukyan said. “We’ve got to think about the best, we shouldn’t think about the worst situation” (h/t MMA Fighting).

Arman Tsarukyan promises KO win over Islam Makhachev in title rematch after brutal UFC Austin Win

Arman TsarukyanArman Tsarukyan sent a message to reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev following his stunning 64-second knockout of Beneil Dariush…

Arman Tsarukyan

Arman Tsarukyan sent a message to reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev following his stunning 64-second knockout of Beneil Dariush at UFC Austin.

Going into his contest with Dariush, ‘Ahalkalakets’ was sitting as the No. 8 ranked lightweight in the world, come Monday, he’ll see himself in the top five, moving him significantly closer to a potential rematch with Makhachev. Following his first-round destruction of Dariush in The Lone Star State, Arman Tsarukyan sent a message to the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ letting him know that their title tilt won’t end the same way as their first meeting.

“I was 22 years old [when I first fought Makhachev],” Tsarukyan said. “Now I’m 27. I got improved. The next fight is going to be a different one. I’m going to knock him out.”

Arman Tsarukyan Could Be waiting a While for his lightweight title opportunity

Meeting in April 2019, Makhachev scored a decisive unanimous decision victory over Tsarukyan. Makhachev is currently on a 13-fight win streak which includes his world title-winning performance against Charles Oliveira last year and back-to-back defenses against featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski.

Tsarukyan has now won eight of his last nine and could very well be one big win away from a long-awaited title opportunity. Unfortunately, even with his big win over Dariush, Tsarukyan could still be waiting for quite a while with both Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje awaiting their own shot at the 155-pound crown.

Arman Tsarukyan promises KO win over Islam Makhachev in title rematch after brutal UFC Austin Win

Arman TsarukyanArman Tsarukyan sent a message to reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev following his stunning 64-second knockout of Beneil Dariush…

Arman Tsarukyan

Arman Tsarukyan sent a message to reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev following his stunning 64-second knockout of Beneil Dariush at UFC Austin.

Going into his contest with Dariush, ‘Ahalkalakets’ was sitting as the No. 8 ranked lightweight in the world, come Monday, he’ll see himself in the top five, moving him significantly closer to a potential rematch with Makhachev. Following his first-round destruction of Dariush in The Lone Star State, Arman Tsarukyan sent a message to the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ letting him know that their title tilt won’t end the same way as their first meeting.

“I was 22 years old [when I first fought Makhachev],” Tsarukyan said. “Now I’m 27. I got improved. The next fight is going to be a different one. I’m going to knock him out.”

Arman Tsarukyan Could Be waiting a While for his lightweight title opportunity

Meeting in April 2019, Makhachev scored a decisive unanimous decision victory over Tsarukyan. Makhachev is currently on a 13-fight win streak which includes his world title-winning performance against Charles Oliveira last year and back-to-back defenses against featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski.

Tsarukyan has now won eight of his last nine and could very well be one big win away from a long-awaited title opportunity. Unfortunately, even with his big win over Dariush, Tsarukyan could still be waiting for quite a while with both Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje awaiting their own shot at the 155-pound crown.