UFC 331 results: Arman Tsarukyan scores brutal knockout of Mauricio Ruffy with elbow, calls for title shot — SkimNews
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- Arman Tsarukyan knocked out Mauricio Ruffy with a left elbow to the eye from the standing clinch at 4:56 of round 1, with referee Jason Herzog stopping the fight after a follow-up right elbow dropped Ruffy unconscious against the cage
- Tsarukyan extended his win streak to six straight and improved to 24-4, his first fight in 29 months after pulling out of a January 2025 UFC 311 title shot against Islam Makhachev with a back injury
- Mauricio Ruffy, a 30-year-old Brazilian striker who stepped in for Charles Oliveira on one month's notice, opened strong with a straight right hand that caused considerable swelling under Tsarukyan's right eye before the tide turned
- Lightweight champion Justin Gaethje isn't expected to return to competition until next year, leaving Tsarukyan positioned as what the source calls a "virtually undeniable choice" for the next title fight
- Tsarukyan joked post-fight, "Title fight or Mark Zuckerberg, I want to fight you next," reflecting both his campaign for the championship and his social-media celebrity built during his 29-month layoff
Why it matters: Tsarukyan now holds a six-fight win streak capped by a highlight-reel elbow knockout, and with Gaethje sidelined through next year, the UFC has effectively run out of reasons to deny him the lightweight title shot he was forced to surrender in January 2025.
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