Arman Tsarukyan defeated Urijah Faber with a dominant 13-1 technical superiority victory in wrestling competition. After the match, Tsarukyan kept his pre-fight promise by throwing Faber into the crowd. He then issued a callout to Colby Covington, vowing to aim for a 10-0 score and claiming he will not give Covington a single point. Tsarukyan stated he gave Faber one point out of respect for his age, but will fight with all his strength against Covington. He promised to beat Covington badly and make people forget about him as a wrestler, claiming Covington has already been forgotten as a fighter. The post also noted that Gilbert Burns retired and that Mike Malott will enter the top 15 but is not believed to have potential against top welterweights.
Arman Tsarukyan handed Urijah Faber a lopsided 13-1 defeat in a wrestling competition on April 19, 2026, and immediately used the post-match spotlight to call out welterweight contender Colby Covington.
Faber, the 47-year-old American veteran known as "The California Kid," carries a professional MMA record of 35-11 and built his career with Team Alpha Male. A former WEC featherweight champion and perennial contender, Faber stands five-foot-six with a 67-inch reach. Tsarukyan acknowledged his opponent's legacy by admitting he allowed Faber the one point out of respect for his age, a gesture he made clear he will not extend to his next target.
Covington, nicknamed "Chaos," is a 38-year-old welterweight from the United States who trains out of MMA Masters. He holds a 17-5 professional record and is known as one of the division's most relentless grapplers, averaging 3.64 takedown attempts per 15 minutes. Tsarukyan set a pointed target, vowing to hold Covington to zero points and beat him so thoroughly that people forget Covington ever had a reputation as a wrestler.
Tsarukyan also made good on a pre-fight pledge by throwing Faber into the crowd after the final score was announced. In his callout remarks, he stated Covington has already been forgotten as a fighter and that he intends to reinforce that perception on the mat.
Also noted in the same post, Gilbert Burns, the 39-year-old Brazilian welterweight ranked 13th in the division with a 22-10 record, has retired from competition.
Why it matters
- Tsarukyan's callout puts Covington's wrestling credibility directly on the line against a hungry contender
- The public nature of the challenge and Tsarukyan's specific scoring target of 10-0 raises the stakes beyond a standard fight callout
- Burns's retirement opens movement in the welterweight rankings, potentially accelerating Mike Malott's path into the top 15
