A brawl broke out on stage between Arman Tsarukyan and Dillon Danis at the RAF 14 press conference in Las Vegas, a day before their scheduled headlining match. Danis stood up to show off a t-shirt mocking Khamzat Chimaev, prompting Tsarukyan to rush him and try to punch him. The two were dragged off stage. They were previously set to meet in a submission grappling match on Hype Fighting earlier this year, but that bout never took place.
A scheduled press conference turned into a stage-side brawl in Las Vegas, as UFC lightweight Arman Tsarukyan and Dillon Danis had to be separated a day before their scheduled headlining match at RAF 14, Bloody Elbow reported.
The flashpoint came when Danis stood up to display a t-shirt mocking Khamzat Chimaev. Tsarukyan rushed him and tried to throw a punch before the two were dragged off stage. The pair were previously set to meet in a submission grappling match on Hype Fighting earlier this year, but that bout never took place.
Tsarukyan: ranked, active and fresh off a finish
Tsarukyan, 30, arrives with a 24-3 record and sits at number two in the UFC lightweight rankings. The Russian fights out of American Top Team and stands five-foot-seven with a 72-inch reach. His most recent recorded fight came on September 19, 2026, when he knocked out Mauricio Ruffy in the first round at UFC 331, just over a month before this press conference. Before that he submitted Dan Hooker in November 2025 and beat Charles Oliveira by split decision at UFC 300.
His numbers show a grappling-minded wrestler with real striking output: 3.78 significant strikes landed per minute at 49 percent accuracy, plus 3.25 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Danis and the Chimaev target
The shirt was aimed at Chimaev, the Allstars Training Center product who is 15-1 and ranked number one at middleweight and tenth in the pound-for-pound list. The 32-year-old, who competes out of the United Arab Emirates, lost a split decision to Sean Strickland in a title fight at UFC 328 on May 9, 2026, his most recent recorded bout. Before that he beat Dricus Du Plessis by unanimous decision in August 2025 and submitted Robert Whittaker in the first round in October 2024.
Chimaev is a notable grappling reference point for any such taunt. He averages 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes, well above Tsarukyan's 3.25, and lands 4.04 significant strikes per minute at 60 percent accuracy.
Why it matters
- The headlining match was set for the following day, so the altercation raises questions about how the event proceeds, though nothing beyond the scrap itself has been reported.
- Tsarukyan has now been drawn into a second planned grappling clash with Danis after the earlier Hype Fighting bout fell through.
- The incident places a ranked UFC lightweight in a very public confrontation just weeks after his latest knockout win.
