Arman Tsarukyan earned a controversial victory over Charles Oliveira at UFC 300. But Oliveira wasn’t the only one whom Tsarukyan punched at the event.
The build-up for Arman Tsarukyan vs. Charles Oliveira was a tale of two stories. Tsarukyan was more reserved in press conferences, while Oliveira sent trash talk out at a feverish rate.
Tsarukyan, the fourth-ranked lightweight, entered his UFC 300 matchup on a three-fight win streak, hoping that a win vs. Oliveira would position him for a title shot.
However, Tsarukyan was already throwing punches before he even made it to the octagon. But it wasn’t at Oliveira — or any other UFC fighter for that matter.
Instead, during his UFC 300 walkout, a fan said or did something that Tsarukyan took umbrage to. The ESPN+ broadcast didn’t initially catch the incident on camera.
Commentators Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan both mentioned the skirmish, saying that Tsarukyan had “gotten into it” with a fan on his way to the octagon.
Later, a clip surfaced on social media showing the physical altercation between the fan and Tsarukyan. In it, the MMA star is shown giving high-fives to the audience.
Another angle of Arman Tsarukyan punching a fan on his way to the cage 😳#UFC300 #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/LT9HRF9a5Z
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 14, 2024
It appears as though the fan grabbed at Tsarukyan’s hand during the embrace, causing an intense reaction from the usually stoic fighter.
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Tsarukyan unleashed a massive right hand, seemingly connecting with his target as those around him pushed him away from the scuffle and toward the octagon.
The clip took off on social media as the match commenced. Tsarukyan came away with a controversial split-decision victory, eliciting boos from the sold-out crowd.
After the fight, Tsarukyan explained what happened. “[The fan] showed me ‘f*** you,’ and wanted to punch me. And I wanted to punch him back. That’s it.
“It doesn’t matter who you are, I’m going to punch you in the face,” Tsarukyan told reporters. “I’m from Russia. Don’t do that, please. Or I’m going to go to the prison in the US.”
Following Tsarukyan’s impressive UFC 300 win, he called out Islam Makhachev. The reigning lightweight champion responded on social media, saying, “Be ready. See you soon, boy.”
A media member asked Tsarukyan his thoughts on that social media post and what he wanted to say to Makhachev. “See you soon, boy,” was all the Russian said in response.