In need of a major finish with a potential lightweight title shot on the line, Arman Tsarukyan landed a brutal elbow that knocked Mauricio Ruffy into oblivion in the UFC 331 lightweight title eliminator co-main event.
“For my next fight, for the title, I needed the finish, and I knew I was going to finish him,” Tsarukyan said in his post-fight interview. “It was difficult, but I knew I had five rounds and that my time would come.”
“Title fight or Mark Zuckerberg, I want to fight you next.”
Ruffy defended Tsarukyan’s grappling efforts well throughout the opening round, and he landed a couple of solid inside shots during the round.
Tsarukyan, however, was relentless with his pressure, pinning Ruffy for most of the round up against the fence and scoring a couple of takedowns.
In the waning seconds of round one, Tsarukyan landed a brutal elbow to the eye, putting Ruffy out on his feet. Tsarukyan followed it with another elbow that crumbled him to the mat for the KO win.
This marked Tsarukyan’s first fight in the UFC since defeating Dan Hooker at UFC Qatar in November. He has kept himself active through competition in RAF.
