Exactly one year ago, on May 2, 2025, Arman Tsarukyan competed in Karate Combat against Makkasharip Zainukov, which seemed like a one-time event. Since then, Tsarukyan has competed 9 more times across various disciplines including grappling, submission-only, and freestyle wrestling in four different leagues, not counting MMA. Only 4 of his 10 matches went to decision, with notable submission victories over tough opponents including Mehdi, Freire, and Henderson. The RAF league has grown significantly alongside Tsarukyan and now wants him at every event, with two matches already scheduled just two weeks apart. His social media presence has also exploded, doubling his followers, growing his Telegram channel from zero to over 100,000 subscribers, producing vlogs that have accumulated over 5 million views, and creating daily short videos garnering several million views each.
One year ago on May 2, 2025, Arman Tsarukyan stepped into Karate Combat to face Makkasharip Zainukov in what looked at the time like a one-off curiosity. Twelve months later, that single appearance has snowballed into one of the most active multi-discipline runs in recent combat sports memory.
Tsarukyan, the 29-year-old Russian lightweight ranked number one in the UFC's 155-pound division, carries a professional MMA record of 23-3-0 and trains out of American Top Team. Standing five-foot-seven with a 72-inch reach, he has built his reputation inside the octagon on a well-rounded game that includes 3.85 significant strikes landed per minute at 50 percent accuracy alongside 3.26 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Since that Karate Combat debut, the fighter known as "Ahalkalakets" has competed nine additional times across grappling, submission-only, and freestyle wrestling formats in four separate leagues outside of MMA. Of his ten total non-MMA outings, only four went to a decision, with submission finishes over notable opponents including Mehdi, Freire, and Henderson underlining his finishing ability across rulesets.
Why it matters
- Tsarukyan is now a recognizable crossover name in multiple combat disciplines, not just MMA
- The RAF league has moved to feature him at virtually every event, with two bouts already scheduled just two weeks apart
- His off-cage profile has surged in parallel, with his social media following doubling, a Telegram channel growing from zero to over 100,000 subscribers, vlogs accumulating more than five million views, and daily short-form content drawing several million views apiece
- For the lightweight division, the volume of competition across disciplines raises questions about wear and scheduling around any future UFC commitments
The past twelve months have reframed Tsarukyan from a top MMA contender into a broader combat sports figure, and the pace of activity shows no sign of slowing heading into the second year of this stretch.
