Arman Tsarukyan defeated Urijah Faber by a dominant 13-1 score in their wrestling match at a RAF event. The bout was highlighted by Tsarukyan throwing Faber beyond the boundaries of the mat and executing an amplitude throw. The post describes this as the main UFC RAF news of the week, indicating it was a significant wrestling crossover event involving active MMA fighters.
Arman Tsarukyan added a wrestling trophy to his MMA resume on April 19, 2026, defeating Urijah Faber by a lopsided 13-1 score at a RAF (Russian Amateur Federation) wrestling event — a crossover bout that drew considerable attention across combat sports circles.
Tsarukyan, the 29-year-old Russian contender ranked first in the UFC lightweight division, carried his formidable grappling credentials into the wrestling format. Competing out of American Top Team, he holds a 23-3-0 professional MMA record and is one of the most active takedown artists in the sport, averaging 3.26 takedowns per 15 minutes. His performance at the RAF event reflected that pedigree, highlighted by an amplitude throw and a moment that sent Faber clear beyond the boundaries of the mat.
Faber, the 47-year-old American veteran known as "The California Kid," entered with a storied 35-11-0 MMA record built largely in the bantamweight and featherweight divisions. Fighting out of his own Team Alpha Male, Faber has always carried a wrestler's identity throughout his career, averaging 1.54 takedowns per 15 minutes across his MMA tenure. However, the 13-1 scoreline and the throw-out-of-bounds moment illustrated the difficulty of transitioning from mixed martial arts grappling to a dedicated wrestling format against a younger, specialized opponent.
Why it matters
- Tsarukyan's dominant showing reinforces the grappling foundation beneath his top-ranked lightweight standing
- Faber, competing at 47, stepped into a pure wrestling environment against a fighter nearly two decades his junior
- The crossover format spotlights how elite MMA grapplers measure up in traditional wrestling competition
