Arman TsarukyanPlayer·Arman Tsarukyan turns a cross-discipline showcase into a statement of intent, overwhelming Tony FergusonPlayer·Tony Ferguson 10–0 by technical fall in their wrestling bout at RAF 10Competition·RAF 10 and further sharpening his growing reputation as an elite grappler.
Billed as a meeting of generations between an active UFC lightweight contender and a former UFC standout, the contest quickly becomes one-way traffic once Tsarukyan closes the distance. Transitioning smoothly from stance to shot, he drives Ferguson to the mat early and never has to look back.
The tone is set by the first major exchange. Tsarukyan commits to his entries with conviction, chains his attacks together and forces Ferguson to defend from his heels. The resistance does not last long. Two clean, high-amplitude throws punctuate the opening phase, each drawing a roar from the crowd and, more importantly, a cascade of points on the scoreboard.
By the time the second throw lands, Tsarukyan already controls tempo, position and risk. The pair reset, but Ferguson struggles to clear ties or establish meaningful offence. Tsarukyan continues to press forward, mixing level changes with upper-body grips, steadily widening the gap until the score reaches 10–0, triggering the technical fall and ending the contest before the final whistle.
The result keeps Tsarukyan unbeaten in RAF competition on the wrestling mat and reinforces the premise that his grappling can carry across formats. Each outing in this rule set adds to an aura that already makes him a dangerous assignment for mixed martial artists willing to test themselves under pure wrestling conditions.
For Ferguson, the night is another reminder of the unforgiving nature of crossover events. The American has built his name on unorthodox striking, scrambling and submissions, but in a discipline stripped back to takedowns, control and exposure, he spends almost the entire bout fighting off Tsarukyan’s pressure. The margin of defeat invites renewed scrutiny of how often, and under what terms, past MMA stars step into specialist environments against prime contenders.
Tsarukyan, by contrast, treats the bout as a launchpad. No sooner has the referee waved off the contest than he is standing nose to nose with Colby CovingtonPlayer·Colby Covington on the mat, setting the stage for RAF’s next marquee attraction. The pair are scheduled to meet in the main event of RAF 12Competition·RAF 12 on 18 July in MilwaukeeVenue·Milwaukee, a matchup that pits Tsarukyan’s unbeaten RAF streak against an opponent with deep freestyle credentials.
Covington brings his own momentum into that confrontation. He arrives at 2–0 under the RAF banner, with wins over Luke RockholdPlayer·Luke Rockhold and Chris WeidmanPlayer·Chris Weidman already on his record. Those results, coupled with his background in American collegiate wrestling, give the promotion a strong narrative hook: an in-form Tsarukyan testing his evolving, MMA-honed wrestling against a former national champion who has so far looked comfortable back on the mats.
The brief face-off at RAF 10Competition·RAF 10 underlines what is at stake. For Tsarukyan, another dominant performance in a wrestling-only showcase would bolster his brand beyond the octagon, positioning him as a crossover attraction in high-profile grappling superfights. For Covington, ending Tsarukyan’s unbeaten run would reaffirm his own standing as a specialist technician in an era when many MMA fighters split their training across multiple arts.
As RAF pivots from a veteran-versus-contender subplot to a clash between two active names with contrasting wrestling trajectories, the promotion has secured a compelling narrative for July. Tsarukyan leaves RAF 10Competition·RAF 10 with a flawless scoreline, a sharpened aura on the mat and a clear target in front of him. Covington now has four weeks to prepare for an opponent who has barely put a foot wrong under RAF rules, and a stage on which one of them will inevitably see their perfect wrestling record rewritten.
Dan Hooker reacts after a submission loss to Arman Tsarukyan at UFC Fight Night in Doha. Credit: Naushad/IMAGO
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