Arman Tsarukyan defeated Urijah Faber 13-1 in a wrestling match and immediately called out Colby Covington afterward. Tsarukyan stated he will aim for a 10-0 shutout against Covington and will not give him a single point, unlike the one point he conceded to Faber out of respect. He promised to beat Covington decisively and make people forget about him as a fighter and as a wrestler. The post also mentions that Khamzat Chimaev signed a contract with RAF wrestling league, prompting Bo Nickal to challenge him.
Arman Tsarukyan made headlines on April 19, 2026, not inside the Octagon but on the wrestling mat, where he dominated MMA legend Urijah Faber by a score of 13-1 before immediately calling out Colby Covington.
Tsarukyan, the lightweight contender, left little doubt in the wrestling contest against Faber, conceding just a single point — a gesture he later described as a mark of respect for the veteran. In the aftermath, he turned his attention squarely to Covington, vowing a 10-0 shutout and promising to be so dominant that people would forget Covington's reputation both as a fighter and as a wrestler.
Faber, 47, is one of MMA's most recognizable names, carrying a professional record of 35-11 under the Team Alpha Male banner. The California Kid stands five-foot-six with a 67-inch reach and has long been celebrated for his grappling credentials, though the lopsided scoreline on this occasion underscored the difference in wrestling-specific competition.
Separately, middleweight contender Khamzat Chimaev has signed a contract with the RAF wrestling league, a move that quickly drew a response from Bo Nickal, who issued a challenge to the Borz. Chimaev, ranked first in the middleweight division and tenth pound-for-pound at age 32, is one of MMA's most feared grapplers, averaging 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes across his career with a 15-1 professional record. Nickal, training out of American Top Team Happy Valley, holds a 9-1 record and brings his own elite wrestling pedigree to the table, averaging 3.1 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside a striking accuracy of 61 percent.
Why it matters
- Tsarukyan's callout of Covington signals ambitions that stretch beyond the lightweight division into the broader combat sports conversation.
- Chimaev entering a dedicated wrestling league raises his profile ahead of any future middleweight title pursuits.
- A potential Chimaev-Nickal wrestling matchup would pit two of MMA's most decorated grappling talents against each other outside the cage.
