TLDR
- Arman Tsarukyan defeated Mauricio Ruffy by first-round knockout at UFC 331 in Los Angeles
- The finish came at 4:56 of round one via back-to-back elbows against the fence
- Tsarukyan overcame early adversity including swelling around his eye from Ruffy’s punches
- After the victory, Tsarukyan called out Justin Gaethje and said Gaethje is ‘scared’ to fight him
- The win cements Tsarukyan’s position as the number one contender in the lightweight division
Sources: mmajunkie.usatoday.com | sherdog.com | cagesidepress.com
Arman Tsarukyan knocked out Mauricio Ruffy with back-to-back elbows in the first round at UFC 331 on Saturday night. The Armenian fighter then called out Justin Gaethje for a potential title fight, claiming Gaethje is “scared” to face him.
The fight ended at 4:56 of the opening round at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Tsarukyan landed two crushing elbows while Ruffy was pinned against the fence, ending the lightweight title eliminator bout.
Tough Start Leads to Dominant Finish
The fight started with Ruffy landing clean strikes in the opening minute. A right hand connected cleanly just past the one-minute mark, and Tsarukyan showed visible swelling around his eye from Ruffy’s punches.
🚨 Arman Tsarukyan wants to fight again as soon as possible:
"If they told me December, that would be great… I need one or two weeks to rest, and then I'm ready. I didn't get hurt so I'm ready." #UFC331
pic.twitter.com/gJINKlbYaL— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 20, 2026
Despite the rocky start, Tsarukyan remained confident he would find a finish. “I feel great,” Tsarukyan said in his post-fight interview. “I was looking for a finish and even the first round was kind of rough, but I knew, like, I’m going to finish him.”
Tsarukyan eventually closed the distance and took the fight to the fence. Ruffy showed improved takedown defense, initially defending Tsarukyan’s attempts to bring him to the ground.
The determination paid off when Tsarukyan landed a nasty elbow from the top position. Moments later, he landed another crushing elbow that dropped Ruffy onto Tsarukyan’s shoulder, followed immediately by a second elbow that ended the fight.
Mixed Martial Arts Approach Proves Key
“I’m such a well-rounded fighter,” Tsarukyan explained after the victory. “I know, like, with wrestling, only wrestling, you cannot win the fights. You’ve got to mix it up.”
Tsarukyan acknowledged that Ruffy presented a tough challenge as a striker. “Ruffy is one of the best strikers, you know, we shouldn’t forget about that,” he said. “First punches, it’s always hard to defend because both of us, we’re fresh.”
The fighter emphasized the importance of the finish for his championship aspirations. “For my next fight, for the title fight, I needed that finish,” Tsarukyan said.
Ruffy had prepared for the fight alongside high-level training partners including Alexander Volkanovski and Israel Adesanya. The preparation wasn’t enough to overcome Tsarukyan’s pressure and finishing ability.
Tsarukyan has remained a top contender in the lightweight division despite facing various controversies outside the cage in recent years. The victory cements his position as the number one contender at 155 pounds.
The fighter spoke to MMA Junkie and other media members after the event. During these interviews, Tsarukyan discussed a possible title bout with Justin Gaethje and stated that Gaethje is “scared” to fight him.
“I made the best statement that I could do today,” Tsarukyan said following his performance at UFC 331.
