Overview
- The No. 1 UFC lightweight dominated four-time NCAA All-American Lance Palmer, winning a first-period 10-0 technical fall in his RAF debut in Sunrise, Florida.
- Tsarukyan remains out of the UFC 324 interim title fight and contends the promotion is protecting Paddy Pimblett as it builds toward a title unification with Ilia Topuria.
- UFC CEO Dana White has said Tsarukyan’s headbutt of Dan Hooker and a late withdrawal from UFC 311 weighed heavily against booking him.
- Tsarukyan says UFC officials told him he was 'too dangerous' for the Paramount+ debut because of recent incidents, while he maintains he is ready to serve as a UFC 324 replacement.
- After the win he challenged Michael Chandler to an RAF match, prompting Chandler to say he would 'smash' him, and Tsarukyan also claimed he earned about $40,000 for a pre-event influencer stream.