Arman Tsarukyan scored a dominant wrestling victory over Urijah Faber at UFC RAF, winning by technical superiority with a 13-1 score. The bout showcased Tsarukyan's grappling prowess as he threw Faber off the mat and executed an amplitude throw during the match. The technical superiority finish came in the third round. This was a wrestling competition rather than an MMA fight, highlighting Tsarukyan's credentials in his original discipline.
Arman Tsarukyan capped a dominant wrestling performance at the UFC RAF event on April 19, 2026, defeating Urijah Faber by technical superiority with a lopsided 13-1 score. The bout, a wrestling competition rather than an MMA fight, was settled in the third round after Tsarukyan threw Faber off the mat and landed an amplitude throw that left little doubt about the outcome.
Tsarukyan, 29, enters the spotlight once again as the number-one ranked lightweight contender in the UFC, carrying a 23-3 professional MMA record under the American Top Team banner. The Russian fighter stands five-foot-seven with a 72-inch reach and has long been regarded as one of the sport's most complete grapplers. His MMA numbers back that up — he averages 3.26 takedowns per 15 minutes and lands significant strikes at a 50 percent accuracy clip, among the highest in his division.
Faber, the 47-year-old veteran known as "The California Kid," holds a 35-11 MMA record accumulated over a decorated career representing Team Alpha Male out of Sacramento. Standing five-foot-six with a 67-inch reach, Faber built his legacy as one of the most exciting fighters of his generation, though the RAF outing served as a reminder of the gap between the two men on the wrestling mat at this stage of their careers.
Why it matters
- The result underscores Tsarukyan's elite grappling base as he continues to build his case for a UFC lightweight title shot.
- Faber, long retired from active MMA competition, stepped into a pure wrestling format against one of the sport's best current grapplers.
- Tsarukyan's takedown volume and wrestling credentials, now on display outside the cage as well, reinforce his status as a multi-dimensional threat at lightweight.
