Tsarukyan Stops Gracie In First-Period Tech Fall

Arman Tsarukyan needed less than two minutes to finish Neiman Gracie at RAF Abu Dhabi on Saturday, scoring a tech fall victory in the co-main event before challenging Olympic champion Jordan Burroughs.

The UFC lightweight contender overwhelmed Gracie from the opening seconds, per MMA Fighting. A pushout gave Tsarukyan the first point, then a snap takedown put Gracie on his back. Three gut wrench turns pushed the score to 7-0 before a leg lace added two more. A final stepout sealed the 10-0 tech fall at 1:56 of the first period.

Tsarukyan Calls Out Burroughs After Dominant Win

Tsarukyan shrugged off the size disadvantage in his post-match interview with Chael Sonnen. "Nobody cares if he's big or not," he said, according to MMA Fighting. "I always do my job. Size don't matter, especially in wrestling." He added that failing to pitch a shutout would have disappointed his coaches.

The 8-1 RAF record includes tech fall wins over Tony Ferguson, Urijah Faber, and Lance Palmer. Tsarukyan captured the RAF middleweight crossover title with a tech fall over Dillon Danis at RAF 14 in Las Vegas weeks earlier. Saturday's match carried no belt.

Gracie, a former Bellator title challenger making his second RAF appearance, dropped to 0-2 in the promotion after losing a decision to Shara Magomedov in September. The jiu-jitsu specialist never established a rhythm against Tsarukyan's relentless pressure.

Tsarukyan closed by setting terms for a Burroughs match. "If [Jordan Burroughs] beats Zaurbek Sidakov, I'll wrestle him," he told Sonnen. If not, he suggested RAF should fire the Olympic gold medalist. Tsarukyan knocked out Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 in September and remains the top contender for the UFC lightweight title, which could come in 2027.

Reported via:

• MMA Fighting — RAF Abu Dhabi results: Arman Tsarukyan makes quick work of Neiman Gracie with tech fall victory
• MMA Fighting — RAF Abu Dhabi live blog: Arman Tsarukyan vs. Neiman Gracie