Arman Tsarukyan put on another dominant performance in the RAF 8 main event but only after he grabbed a single leg takedown and literally drove Urijah Faber off the stage during their match.
It was one of the crazier moments in recent wrestling history, although that’s become commonplace anytime Tsarukyan appears in RAF. On this occasion, the UFC lightweight snatched Faber’s leg and drove him backwards trying to score the takedown, which would have actually ended the match after he was already up 8-1 after racking up points early in the match.
Instead, Tsarukyan ended up pushing Faber all the way off the stage as both athletes went flying over the commentary team and crashed on the floor below. Somehow neither Tsarukyan or Faber suffered any kind of injury and the match continued.
“No, how can I throw him on purpose? He’s an OG,” Tsarukyan said about the wild moment. “I was doing my technique and I couldn’t stop.”
On the restart, Tsarukyan wasted no time grabbing another takedown and this time he turned Faber perfectly for a four-point throw to end the match with a 13-1 score. The tech fall victory puts Tsarkyan at 3-0 in his RAF career and he’s already gunning for another top opponent.
Following his win, Tsarukyan turned his attention to Colby Covington, who was sitting nearby with a match against Chris Weidman already booked for RAF 9 in May.
“You see guy over there?” Tsarukyan said pointing to Covington. “He’s one of the best wrestlers from the UFC so I want to prove my wrestling against him and beat him.”
Covington made his way on stage and said he would happily set aside his matchup against Weidman to instead face Tsarukyan in May.
“That match can wait,” Covington said about facing Weidman next. “You need an American who can beat him. Very soon. I just talked to Hunter Campbell, we’re going to get it done.”
It remains to be seen if the UFC will sign off on that match but Tsarukyan and Covington are clearly both interested in mixing it up in RAF in the near future.
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