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Tsarukyan went directly professional after transitioning to MMA from grappling. However, Tsarukyan wasn’t mentally prepared for his first professional MMA fight. “Ahalkalakets” was scared when he saw the cage, with concerns of a knockout loss clouding his mind. Tsarukyan luckily landed an early takedown and unleashed ground-and-pound to secure a first-round victory. However, Tsarukyan realised that he wasn’t ready to go professional and started his amateur career.
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Not Your Average Street Fight
“I was so scared when I did my first pro,” Tsarukyan told Demetrious Johnson. “I thought it was easy, like a street fight, but when I went there and saw the cage, I was scared and said, ‘What if I lose? What if someone knocks me out?’ I was lucky I took him down, did ground-and-pound, and won in the first round. Then I understood I had to do amateur fights. I did pro and then went back to amateur.”
Tsarukyan (23-3) suffered a loss in his short-notice UFC debut against Islam Makhachev. Tsarukyan then racked up five straight victories before suffering a decision loss against Mateusz Gamrot, which he disputes. Tsarukyan rebounded with another five-fight winning streak to earn a lightweight title shot against Makhachev. However, Tsarukyan pulled out a day before the fight due to an injury, which has cost him heavily. Tsarukyan was sidelined when Makhachev vacated the title and moved up. Tsarukyan tried to make it up to the UFC by weighing in as the backup when Ilia Topuria won the vacant title against Charles Oliveira. Tsarukyan was expected to become undeniable when he finished Dan Hooker this past November. However, as Topuria takes a short hiatus, Justin Gaethje will fight Paddy Pimblett for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324 this weekend in Las Vegas.
Arman Tsarukyan went back to the amateurs after his first pro MMA fight 😳😅
“I was so scared when I did my first pro. I thought it was easy, like a street fight, but when I went there and saw the cage, I was scared and said, ‘What if I lose? What if someone knocks me out?’ I… pic.twitter.com/rVGIKFC4m5
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) January 20, 2026
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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