Arman
Tsarukyan has completely redeemed himself after past clashes
with Dana
White and the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Tsarukyan extended his win streak to six straight and further
solidified his No.1 contender status at UFC
331 in Los Angeles with a first-round knockout win over
Mauricio
Ruffy. White praised the top-ranked lightweight at the
post-fight presser, lauding his Octagon return.
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Arman Tsarukyan’s knockout of Mauricio Ruffy earns major praise
from the UFC CEO
Tensions between Tsarukyan and White sparked after the former
pulled out of his lightweight title fight against Islam
Makhachev the night before weigh-ins. He later drew more
criticism from the UFC CEO for scuffles with fans and other
fighters.
White acknowledged that Tsarukyan’s relationship with the UFC had
soured amidst the aforementioned events, but “The Batman” has
turned his standing with the company around.
“I’ve been vocal that I wasn’t crazy about some of the stuff that
he’d done,” White said. “But you know what, when you f*ck up, then
you come back and you do everything the right way. I mean, he
couldn’t have had a better comeback after, you know, the things
that he had done that I wasn’t thrilled about.”
White admitted that he initially believed the fight was heading in
Ruffy’s favor before the elbow knockout, which earned Performance
of the Night honors.
“And then to go in and perform the way that he performed tonight,”
White added. “At the end of that round, I was like, oh sh*t, man,
he’s in for a rough night. And then boom, the elbow.
Incredible.”