Overview
- Tsarukyan and middleweight striker Shara Magomedov grappled to a six-minute, submission-only draw at Hype FC in Yerevan, with Tsarukyan controlling long stretches and delivering a crowd-lifting slam late.
- Tsarukyan said a standalone grappling match with Islam Makhachev “won’t happen,” arguing no promotion could match the champion’s UFC earnings for such an event.
- He signaled openness to a rematch or different rules against Magomedov, as Shara’s coach framed the draw as a moral victory and floated a Muay Thai bout.
- Tsarukyan stayed busy through 2025 with multiple grappling wins over Mehdi Baydulaev, Benson Henderson, Patricky Pitbull, and Makkasharip Zaynukov, and he submitted Dan Hooker at UFC Qatar in November.
- He says the UFC told him before the Hooker fight that Paddy Pimblett would get the next title opportunity, and reports indicate he is preparing to serve as the backup for the Pimblett–Justin Gaethje interim title bout at UFC 324.