Arman Tsarukyan defeated Urijah Faber by a dominant 13-1 score in a grappling match, fulfilling his promise to throw Faber into the crowd after the bout. Following the victory, Tsarukyan issued a challenge to Colby Covington, vowing to aim for a 10-0 shutout. He stated he gave one point to Faber out of respect for his veteran status, but will show no such mercy against Covington. Tsarukyan declared his intention to make people forget about Covington not just as a fighter, but as a wrestler entirely. The post also notes that the originally scheduled bout between Guskov and Blachowicz was canceled but replaced with Ibo Aslan as an opponent. Additionally, RAF league announced the signing of Khamzat Chimaev, to which Bo Nickal immediately responded with a challenge.
Arman Tsarukyan dominated veteran Urijah Faber by a lopsided 13-1 score in a grappling match, and wasted no time pointing his sights at Colby Covington when the bout was over.
Tsarukyan made good on a pre-match promise by throwing Faber into the crowd following the victory, a theatrical moment that underscored just how one-sided the contest was. Speaking afterward, Tsarukyan said he conceded the single point to Faber as a gesture of respect for his long career, but made clear that Covington will receive no such courtesy. He vowed to pursue a perfect 10-0 shutout against Covington and declared his intent to erase him not only as a fighter but as a wrestler in the public consciousness.
Faber, 47, is a legend of the sport with a 35-11-0 professional record who competed for years under the Team Alpha Male banner. The California Kid stands five-foot-six with a 67-inch reach, and while his competitive MMA career is well behind him, he remains an active figure in the combat sports world.
Elsewhere on the same card, a scheduled bout between Guskov and Jan Blachowicz fell through but was replaced by a matchup featuring Ibo Aslan as a substitute opponent.
The event also produced a significant organizational announcement: the RAF league confirmed the signing of Khamzat Chimaev, the number-one ranked middleweight and number-10 pound-for-pound fighter in the world. Chimaev, 32, carries a 15-1-0 record and is one of the most physically imposing grapplers in the sport, averaging 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes with 60 percent striking accuracy.
Bo Nickal, the 30-year-old American Top Team prospect who holds a 9-1-0 record and boasts a 61 percent striking accuracy, responded to the Chimaev signing immediately by issuing a public challenge.
Why it matters
- Tsarukyan's callout of Covington sets up a potential high-profile grappling or MMA crossover contest
- Chimaev's move to RAF puts him on a collision course with elite competition outside the UFC's middleweight division
- Nickal's swift response to the Chimaev signing signals genuine interest in a matchup between two unrelenting grapplers
