SUNRISE, Fla. – Arman Tsarukyan is not one and done with freestyle wrestling. He wants more.
After a successful debut at RAF 05, Tsarukyan is looking to get his hands on fellow UFC lightweight contender Michael Chandler on the wrestling mats. Tsarukyan, who defeated two-time PFL tournament winner Lance Palmer on Saturday at Amerant Arena, enjoyed competing for RAF and wants to work his way up in competition, and he sees Chandler as the perfect next step.
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“I want to do more RAF, grappling, so let’s see what they offer,” Tsarukyan told MMA Junkie in a post-fight scrum. “I would like to wrestle because grappling is still dangerous for us, but in freestyle wrestling there is no chokes or submissions. It’s difficult to get hurt here. I see Michael Chandler is calling out somebody. He was running out in the UFC, but maybe here he’s not going to be a little girl like always, and he’s going to take a wrestling match with me. Back home, he’s a wrestler. I’m not a wrestler. I’m an MMA fighter. Yeah, I wrestle a lot, but still – maybe here he has a little bit of chance to beat me because in UFC, he has zero chance.”
Tsarukyan wants to eventually test his skills against the world’s best in wrestling, just like he does in MMA.
“I would like to wrestle with Kyle Drake, as well,” Tsarukyan said. “It’s good for me because he’s world champion, (bronze) Olympic (medalist). He’s a real name. Next one i would like to have an MMA fighter, who has a background in wrestling, get more experience, and then wrestle with the real wrestlers because we’re still not on the same level. You can’t compare an MMA fighter to a freestyle wrestler.”
Tsarukyan is looking to stay active athletically given his recent title shot snub. Tsarukyan, the No. 1 contender at 155 pounds, was skipped over – despite being available – by Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje, who are set to fight for the UFC interim lightweight title later this month at UFC 324. Many in the MMA community protested the UFC’s decision. It’s unknown if Tsarukyan will wait for the expected title unification bout between champion Ilia Topuria and the winner of Pimblett vs. Gaethje or if he’ll take another bout and further solidify his status as No. 1 contender.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Arman Tsarukyan calls out Michael Chandler for RAF wrestling match
