Arman Tsarukyan secured a victory over Giorgio Puellas in a grappling match during the RAF 6 event. Throughout the bout, the American repeatedly provoked the UFC fighter with foul tactics, culminating in a mass brawl immediately following the final bell. The promotion’s leadership strongly condemned the incident, and the blogger, while en route to the hospital, continued to insult the Russian-Armenian athlete. Tsarukyan, in turn, emphasized that he not only won but also earned money.
For several months, Arman Tsarukyan had been cultivating his image for the American audience, developing his social media presence and crafting a “good guy” persona. In late January, the Russian-Armenian athlete even issued an apology to the UFC management—Dana White and Hunter Campbell. He pledged to refrain from any altercations with fans or opponents, a clear reference to headbutting Dan Hooker during their face-off prior to their November fight last year.
Since then, Arman has not stepped into the octagon, shifting his focus to grappling contests, including appearances in RAF, one of the planet’s most popular promotions for the sport. Tsarukyan, ranked second in the UFC lightweight division, faced his most recent opponent, Giorgio Puellas—a content creator known for his “$1,000 if you take me down” challenge.
He made a similar wager at the press conference with his counterpart, confidently asserting that he would never be taken to the mat during the fight. However, the American likely did not anticipate the match ending in a massive brawl.
From the opening seconds, it was clear the tension was genuine. Puellas struck Tsarukyan in the head with an open hand multiple times, eventually prompting a slap in return from Arman. The intervening referee issued both competitors penalty points, but neither fighter calmed down. The US representative persisted with unsportsmanlike conduct: pushing Arman in the face, gripping his fingers, and even, as commentator Ben Askren put it, feigning injury.
Nevertheless, despite his opponent’s antics, Tsarukyan prevailed: in the second period, he extended his lead to 4-1 after forcing the blogger out of bounds, and later executed a double-leg takedown to go up 5-3. However, instead of the results being announced, the audience witnessed the continuation of the contest in an anything-goes fight format.
Immediately after the final horn, Tsarukyan lunged at Puellas, taking him down to the mat and beginning to strike him. The situation spiraled out of control: coaches, other athletes, and security personnel flooded the canvas, turning the confrontation into a full-scale melee.
Among those trying to intervene was welterweight Colby Covington, who was instantly challenged by Khamzat Chimaev. The UFC middleweight champion watched the grappling event live and reacted to the post-match events with a smile.
The RAF management, however, was not amused. Organization CEO Chad Bronstein condemned the incident, stressing that the promotion targets a family audience.
“Clearly, we are absolutely not interested in incidents like this. This is only our sixth event—it’s so few, and unfortunately, things like this happen. But we need to figure out how to ensure this doesn’t repeat itself,” he stated at the press conference.
RAF Media Director Eric Bischoff was also dismayed, although he primarily had to fend off attacks from fans who accused the promotion of staging the fight for hype.
“What happened will cause arguments. And arguments, if managed correctly, can generate revenue, but they can also provoke negative reactions. On social media, I’ve already been accused of orchestrating everything myself because it looked too much like professional wrestling. But anyone who knows me and has ever worked with me understands I would never let something drag on this far,” he quipped.
The executive did note, however, that the organization would need to review the footage of the conflict before making a final determination.
Puellas was the first of the brawlers to speak out. While heading to the hospital, he recorded a video message for his fans, calling Tsarukyan a “pathetic sc**bag” and thanking his relatives who jumped in to help.
“Unfortunately, I was attacked, but as you saw, my 62-year-old father and both brothers came to the rescue. That’s how we’re raised—to stand up for each other, no matter what. There were fewer of us against about 12 people… And they ran out and fought alongside me, fought for me. That, damn it, is real love. That’s how we were raised,” the American declared.
Furthermore, he claimed the title of champion because Arman failed to secure a takedown and incurred several penalty points.
Tsarukyan himself, whose actions were supported by the majority of fans, was concise, limiting his response to two sentences.
“Won the fight, took the cash. If you act up, you’ll get yours,” the UFC lightweight posted on his social media.
However, he will likely need to provide a more detailed explanation. Recently, executives at American promotions have been paying close attention to athlete conduct. And for a highly skilled but unreliable sportsman, securing fights becomes increasingly difficult with every such episode, especially since this is far from Arman’s first such instance.
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