Tsarukyan after knocking out Ruffy: “Gaethje knows I’m his next opponent”

Arman Tsarukyan reacted to his impressive victory over Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 in Los Angeles. The Armenian fighter knocked out the Brazilian in the first round and once again stated after the fight that he intends to compete for the UFC lightweight title.

According to Tsarukyan, he expected a difficult start from the beginning. Arman admitted that the opening round is usually the toughest for him, which is why he was actually pleased when he learned that the fight against Ruffy would be scheduled for five rounds.

“I knew the first round was going to be tough. The first rounds are always the hardest for me. When they told me it was a five-round fight, I was happy. Even in sparring, I wake up in the first round and then start picking up the pace. I wanted to finish him, and I did it — that’s great.”

Tsarukyan also said that fans have yet to see a significant part of his technical arsenal.

“They don’t know my skills. In training, I do things that nobody here has even seen. But if I keep fighting actively, you’ll see a lot of different tricks from my arsenal.”

One of the key aspects of the fight was Ruffy’s ability to defend Tsarukyan’s takedown attempts. However, the Armenian quickly adjusted and began to make greater use of his striking and clinch work.

“Yes, he was able to defend the wrestling, but he couldn’t defend himself on the feet. I said that even if he could stop the wrestling, once I started mixing everything together, it would be a different game.”

Arman revealed that he did not expect to finish the fight with an elbow.

“When I was wrestling with him and couldn’t take him down, I realized I needed to start using elbows and knees in the clinch. But in the locker room, I didn’t think I was going to knock him out with an elbow. I thought I would finish him with ground-and-pound in the second or third round.”

Ruffy managed to land several solid shots on Tsarukyan during the opening round, but the Armenian lightweight insisted that neither the strikes nor the damage around his eye bothered him.

“My eye wasn’t bothering me. I felt that I got hit once, but I was thinking that I still had another 20 minutes to prove everything and finish him. I was calm, and for some reason I knew I was going to finish him. It didn’t have to be in the first round, but I was completely calm because I knew I had five rounds.”

Tsarukyan rated his own performance 7 out of 10.

Tsarukyan wants a title fight with Gaethje

After the victory, Arman once again made his main goal clear — a championship fight. Tsarukyan believes he should be the next opponent for Justin Gaethje.

“Gaethje already knows everything — I’m his next opponent. It would be great to fight for the title in mid-December or late December, but I can’t choose. The UFC will give me a date, and I’ll be there.”

Tsarukyan also had some harsh words for the American.

“Gaethje doesn’t say my name because he’s scared. He wanted Ruffy to knock me out. So he’ll choose Topuria or threaten to retire and play those stupid games. But the UFC will make him fight me or vacate the title.”

Dana White praises Tsarukyan after UFC 331

UFC president Dana White also praised Arman’s performance during the post-fight press conference. He recalled that he had publicly criticized some of Tsarukyan’s actions in the past, but now believes the Armenian fighter has corrected his mistakes.

“You know, I’ve been very open about the fact that I didn’t really like some of the things he did in the past. But when you make a mistake and then come back and do everything the right way... You couldn’t ask for a better comeback after everything that happened.”

White admitted that he became concerned for Tsarukyan during the first round, but the ending completely changed his impression of the fight.

“At the end of the round, I thought, ‘Damn, it looks like it’s going to be a tough night for him,’ and then — boom — the elbow. The way he performed... it was unbelievable.”

The UFC president added that Tsarukyan’s previous issues should no longer stand in the way of his progress in the division.

“I’d be an idiot if I sat here now and blamed Arman for anything. All of his mistakes are behind him. He corrected them, turned everything around in his favor, and now he’s in the best possible position.”

However, White stopped short of confirming that Tsarukyan’s next fight will be for the title.

“As for the title fight? That depends on Gaethje. We don’t know what he’s thinking yet. He was here tonight, he saw this fight, and we’ll see what he thinks.”

The victory over Ruffy allowed Tsarukyan to make another major statement in his pursuit of a championship fight. One of the biggest questions in the UFC lightweight division now concerns the promotion’s next move and Justin Gaethje’s plans.