On Saturday night, No. 8 ranked lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan returned to the Octagon to continue his climb up the 155-pound ladder at UFC Vegas 75. Tsarukyan entered the evening as the biggest favorite on the card, listed as high as a ten-to-one favorite, but his opponent, Joaquim Silva, walked into the bout with an upset on his mind.
The opening round went pretty much the way fans expected, with Arman Tsarukyan landing a stiff body kick followed by a successful takedown attempt in the opening minute. From there, Tsarukyan controlled things with ease, keeping Silva on the mat throughout the entire round. In the second, Silva managed to keep things standing, giving him a puncher’s chance. It nearly paid off with just over a minute remaining in the round as Silva blasted Tsarukyan with a massive left hand that had the Armenian standout struggling to stay on his feet.
Smelling blood in the water, Silva moved in, but Tsarukyan managed to score a desperation takedown and right out the remainder of the round on the mat.
Finding himself in danger during the penultimate round, Tsarukyan had no interest in standing and trading with Silva in the third. Putting on the pressure early, Tsarukyan managed to back his opponent against the fence and drag him to the canvas. Silva worked his way back up near the halfway point, but it was just a matter of time before Tsarukyan dumped Silva once again. Once he had his man bac k on the mat, Tsarukyan unleashed a flurry of elbow strikes and ground and pound from the mount forcing the referee to step in and call for the stoppage.
Official Result: Arman Tsarukyan def. Joaquim Silva via TKO (strikes) at 3:25 of Round 3.
Check Out Highlights from Arman Tsarukyan vs. Joaquim Silva at UFC Vegas 75 Below:
Tsarukyan s’impose par TKO dans le 3e round au terme d’un super combat avec un Joaquim Silva qui n’aura pas démérité
On a hâte de voir Arman face à un top 5 désormais !
#UFCVegas75
pic.twitter.com/AfmiJJjkqh— REVOLUTION MMA (@RevolutionMMA_) June 18, 2023
Who wants to fight this guy?
— UFC (@ufc) June 18, 2023
"I'm going to smash him."
— UFC (@ufc) June 18, 2023
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