ACB JJ promotion has announced a grappling match between Yusuf Raisov and Arman Tsarukyan scheduled for 2026. The bout will take place under grappling rules rather than MMA rules. The exact date for the contest has not yet been specified by the promotion. This represents a cross-discipline challenge between two skilled grapplers.
ACB JJ promotion has announced a grappling contest between UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan and Yusuf Raisov, set to take place sometime in 2026. The promotion has confirmed the matchup but has not yet specified an exact date. The bout will be contested under grappling rules rather than MMA rules.
Tsarukyan, known by his nickname Ahalkalakets, enters the contest as one of the most decorated grapplers in the UFC lightweight division. The 29-year-old Russian fighter, who trains out of American Top Team, holds a professional MMA record of 23-3-0 and is currently ranked first among lightweight contenders. Standing five-foot-seven with a 72-inch reach, Tsarukyan has demonstrated a well-rounded ground game throughout his career, averaging 3.26 takedowns per 15 minutes in MMA competition. His striking output is equally notable, with 3.85 significant strikes landed per minute at 50 percent accuracy, underscoring his overall versatility as a fighter.
Raisov enters the matchup as a cross-discipline challenger, though no verified MMA record or ranking data is currently available for him through the AgentMMA database.
Why it matters
- Tsarukyan is the top-ranked UFC lightweight contender, making any high-profile outing under a different ruleset a notable event
- The grappling format strips away striking, placing the focus squarely on the ground exchanges that Tsarukyan has built much of his MMA success around
- ACB JJ events have drawn increased attention to competitive submission grappling, and pairing a ranked UFC fighter against a specialist raises the profile of the contest considerably
