Arman Tsarukyan dominated Urijah Faber with a 13-1 victory in a wrestling match at RAF. During the bout, Tsarukyan executed a dramatic sequence by throwing Faber outside the mat boundaries before completing an amplitude throw. The lopsided score demonstrates Tsarukyan's complete technical superiority throughout the match. This wrestling performance showcases Tsarukyan's grappling credentials outside the MMA cage. The bout was highlighted as one of the main events of the UFC RAF week.
Arman Tsarukyan extended his grappling credentials well beyond the MMA cage during UFC RAF week, defeating Urijah Faber by a commanding 13-1 score in a wrestling match at the event. The bout was highlighted as one of the main showcases of the week, and a dramatic sequence in which Tsarukyan threw Faber outside the mat boundaries before completing a high-amplitude throw underlined the one-sided nature of the contest.
Tsarukyan, 29, enters any grappling setting with serious credentials to back it up. The Russian lightweight, representing American Top Team, holds a 23-3-0 professional MMA record and currently sits ranked number one in the UFC lightweight division. Standing five-foot-seven with a 72-inch reach, he averages 3.26 takedowns per 15 minutes inside the cage — a rate that reflects the wrestling base on full display here.
Faber, known as "The California Kid," is a 47-year-old American veteran carrying a career MMA record of 35-11-0 and a legacy built through Team Alpha Male. Standing five-foot-six with a 67-inch reach, Faber built his reputation on slick grappling and relentless submission pressure, averaging 0.8 submission attempts per 15 minutes across his career. Against Tsarukyan, however, the near two-decade age gap and the younger man's elite wrestling proved too much to overcome.
Why it matters
- The lopsided 13-1 scoreline reinforces Tsarukyan's status as one of the most complete grapplers among active UFC lightweights.
- For Faber, the result is a competitive footnote rather than a career statement, given he has been largely retired from elite competition.
- The performance keeps Tsarukyan's name prominent during UFC RAF week at a moment when the lightweight division's title picture remains closely watched.
