Arman Tsarukyan claims that boxer Ryan Garcia has not paid him $40,000 after losing a bet during a livestream. According to Tsarukyan in an interview with Adam Zubairayev, Garcia initially said he would count the money and bring it, then promised to transfer it to Tsarukyan's account, giving his word as a man. Five days have passed since the bet, and Garcia has not even asked for Tsarukyan's card number to make the payment. Tsarukyan mentioned he is going to the bazaar with Khamzat Chimaev and Garcia.
Arman Tsarukyan is publicly calling out boxer Ryan Garcia for failing to pay a $40,000 debt stemming from a lost bet made during a livestream, with five days having passed and no payment in sight.
Tsarukyan, the 29-year-old Russian lightweight ranked first in the UFC's 155-pound division, made the claim in an interview with Adam Zubairayev. The American Top Team product carries a 23-3 record and has established himself as one of the most dangerous contenders in the lightweight division, averaging 3.85 significant strikes per minute with a 50 percent striking accuracy and 3.26 takedowns per 15 minutes. According to Tsarukyan, Garcia initially told him he would count the money and bring it in person, then shifted to promising a bank transfer and gave his word as a man. Neither has materialized. Tsarukyan noted that Garcia has not even reached out to ask for his card number to send the funds.
Adding an interesting wrinkle to the story, Tsarukyan mentioned he is set to visit a bazaar alongside Garcia and Khamzat Chimaev, the number-one ranked UFC middleweight. Chimaev, who fights out of the United Arab Emirates and trains at Allstars Training Center, holds a 15-1 record and is ranked tenth pound-for-pound in the sport. Whether that outing produces a resolution to the debt dispute remains to be seen.
Why it matters
- Tsarukyan is the top-ranked lightweight contender, so any public dispute drawing attention to him carries divisional weight
- The involvement of Chimaev, the top-ranked middleweight, raises the profile of the story across two divisions
- The claim is based on Tsarukyan's own account and Garcia has not publicly responded, leaving the full picture incomplete
