From wrestling roots to the Octagon
Born in Georgia and raised in the Armenian community there, Tsarukyan came to MMA through wrestling, and wrestling still anchors his game. He turned pro in 2016 and signed with the UFC in 2019, debuting against Islam Makhachev in a fight he lost on the cards but which marked him as a problem for the division. He stayed busy on the mats during his recent layoff, beating former Bellator champion Patricky Freire in a submission match, per Sherdog. He’s kept competing in wrestling events while his UFC future hangs.
A wrestler who learned to finish
Tsarukyan pairs Dagestani-style grappling pressure with striking that keeps getting sharper. He lands 3.85 significant strikes per minute at 60% accuracy, numbers you’d expect from a pure striker, not a takedown-heavy wrestler. His takedown accuracy sits at 37.65%, but the threat of the shot opens his hands. Six career wins by submission, nine by knockout — a balanced finishing portfolio. The Hooker fight, per a slrfc.org.uk recap, showed how he’s matured: 42 of 60 significant strikes landed (70%), Hooker waited out, then an arm triangle from half-guard in round two. Calm, patient, then done with it.
The fights that define him
The run starts in February 2022 with a second-round TKO of Joel Álvarez, then a unanimous decision over Damir Ismagulov. A first-round TKO of Beneil Dariush in December 2023 stamped him as a title-level threat. Four months later at UFC 300, he edged Charles Oliveira by split decision in a fight billed as a lightweight title eliminator. His only UFC loss in that stretch came against Mateusz Gamrot in June 2022, a five-round decision. The most recent entry — the arm-triangle finish of Hooker in Al Rayyan on November 22, 2025 — closed a nineteen-month layoff and pushed his UFC run to seven straight.
A title shot he cannot get booked
Tsarukyan was set to challenge Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 in January 2025 before a back issue forced him out. Dana White stripped him of the No. 1 contender slot, and he served as backup for the Topuria-Oliveira title fight at UFC 317 instead, per Sherdog. He’s since flirted publicly with a featherweight move, telling IbraTV he’d only drop for a title shot at Alexander Volkanovski. The question hanging over his career is whether the promotion will ever give him the lightweight fight his résumé already says he’s earned.