TLDR
Arman Tsarukyan defeated Mauricio Ruffyby first-round knockout at UFC 331 in Los Angeles- The finish came at 4:56 of round one via back-to-back elbows against the fence
- Tsarukyan overcame early adversity including swelling around his eye from Ruffy’s punches
- After the victory,
Tsarukyan called out Justin Gaethje and said Gaethje is ‘scared’ to fight him - The win cements Tsarukyan’s position as the number one contender in the lightweight division
Arman Tsarukyan knocked out Mauricio Ruffy with back-to-back elbows in the first round at UFC 331 on Saturday night. The Armenian fighter then called out Justin Gaethje for a potential title fight, claiming Gaethje is “scared” to face him.
The fight ended at 4:56 of the opening round at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Tsarukyan landed two crushing elbows while Ruffy was pinned against the fence, ending the lightweight title eliminator bout.
Tough Start Leads to Dominant Finish
The fight started with Ruffy landing clean strikes in the opening minute. A right hand connected cleanly just past the one-minute mark, and Tsarukyan showed visible swelling around his eye from Ruffy’s punches.
🚨 Arman Tsarukyan wants to fight again as soo...