Arman Tsarukyan dominated Urijah Faber with a 13-1 victory and called out Colby Covington afterward. Tsarukyan promised to aim for a 10-0 score against Covington, saying he gave Faber one point out of respect for his age. He stated he would fight with everything he has against Covington and try to make everyone forget about him as a wrestler. The Guskkov-Blachowicz fight was canceled but replaced with another Polish fighter, Ibo Baraniewski. Tsarukyan also mentioned throwing Faber into the crowd as promised at the press conference.
Arman Tsarukyan closed out a dominant performance against Urijah Faber on April 19, 2026, earning a 13-1 decision victory before immediately setting his sights on Colby Covington in a pointed post-fight callout.
Tsarukyan, 29, enters the record books at 23-3 and holds the number-one ranking in the lightweight division. The Russian fighter out of American Top Team has built his reputation on a relentless combination of striking and wrestling, averaging 3.85 significant strikes per minute at a 50 percent accuracy rate while also threatening with 3.26 takedowns per 15 minutes. In victory, he noted that the single point he conceded to Faber was intentional — a gesture of respect toward the 47-year-old veteran's career and age.
Faber, the former UFC bantamweight title challenger known as "The California Kid," carries a 35-11 record into what was another late-career outing. Standing five-foot-six with a 67-inch reach, the Team Alpha Male representative averaged 2.65 significant strikes per minute and 1.54 takedowns per 15 minutes heading into the bout.
Covington, 38, holds a 17-5 record and fights out of MMA Masters. Known as one of the sport's premier wrestlers, "Chaos" averages 3.64 takedowns per 15 minutes — a volume Tsarukyan directly addressed in his callout, saying he intends to make everyone forget about Covington as a wrestler. Tsarukyan promised to bring everything he has against the American.
The card also saw a late change, with the originally scheduled Guskkov-Blachowicz fight canceled and replaced by Polish fighter Ibo Baraniewski.
Why it matters
- Tsarukyan's callout of Covington sets up a potential top-ranked lightweight showdown with clear divisional implications
- Covington's wrestling-heavy style directly conflicts with Tsarukyan's own elite grappling credentials, making the style matchup a compelling contrast
- A win over Covington would further cement Tsarukyan's position as the undisputed next title contender at 155 pounds
