UFC 300 is in the books and we have quite possibly witnessed the greatest night of fights in combat sports history. With innumerable magical moments scattered throughout the card, there is no shortage of talking points. However, one of the more overlooked ones comes from Arman Tsarukyan vs Charles Oliveira.
For those unaware, ‘Ahalkalakets’ took on Charles ‘Do Bronx’ Oliveira on the second fight of the UFC 300 main card. Although the eyes were on the headliner and the BMF title fight, fans were eagerly awaiting Oliveira’s return as well. Despite Tsarukyan being the less popular fighter, he was seen as the favorite coming into the fight.
Arman first fought Islam 5 years ago 👊
After last night’s win @ArmanUFC wants to see @MAKHACHEVMMA in the Octagon soon! #UFC300 pic.twitter.com/nuDYsB4wRt
— UFC (@ufc) April 14, 2024
However, the fighter encountered some nervy moments very early on as Charles Oliveira locked him up with a very deep guillotine in the very first round. Whilst Arman managed to escape the frantic exchange, he once again found himself in trouble in Late Round 3. Although he started the round well, Arman Tsarukyan found himself in a D’Arce near the end. While he did manage to survive, it was much closer than the fighter made it seem.
Rener Gracie explains how Arman Tsarukyan survived Charles Oliveira’s submissions
Considering the submission attempt from Charles Oliveira at the end, the fight became much closer. Whilst Charles had clearly taken Round 1, Arman Tsarukyan made a strong case for himself in the latter rounds. Eventually, he would then be awarded the split decision victory as well. All things considered, the fight could well have slipped from his grasp during either submission attempt from Charles.
Following the fight, legendary BJJ coach Rener Gracie further delved into the submission attempts to explain why Tsarukyan was able to get out. Demonstrating with a friend of his, Gracie replicated both major instances from the fight.
“Arman Tsarukyan’s shorts were on perfectly loose. So when Oliveira had the Arman guillotine, here, locked in, closed guard, one of his specials, he’s stretching on the squeeze and his legs, the sweat, plus the loose shorts, sliding down, Tsarukyan’s pants fell off mid-fight, fully exposing his b*** to the crowd.”
Why Arman Tsarukyan didn’t tap to either Charles Oliveira submission!
Live #UFC300 Gracie Breakdown pic.twitter.com/dgQZJx3pYm
— Rener Gracie (@RenerGracie) April 14, 2024
“So the question is, how do you solve that problem? Number one, you can go full body triangle. If you body triangle and extend the hips, you’re not gonna slide past their hip bones and you don’t have to worry about lose shorts or tight shorts, you’re good.”
As for the D’Arce choke in Round 3, Gracie points out how Arman Tsarukyan going full-prone on his belly allowed him to defend the submission attempt. According to the BJJ legend, Oliveira should have caught one of Arman’s legs and tried to shift his position for better coverage. Lastly, he points out that such an adaptation on the fly is difficult, especially in such a high-stakes fight with two amazing and technical fighters like Arman and Charles.
Arman Tsarukyan responds and calls for Islam Makhachev next
All things considered, the difficult yet fruitful win now puts Arman Tsarukyan in pole position to fight for the title next. Following Arman’s win, lightweight champ Islam Makhachev also took to social media to let him know that he would be next. That is, after Makhachev’s next fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302, which was announced by UFC President Dana White in the post-fight press conference.
According to sources, Tsarukyan’s manager Sayat Abdrakhmanov later revealed that the UFC had offered them the Makhachev fight for UFC 302 backstage. However, considering the grueling camp Arman just had, it would be near impossible for him to make the turnaround. Thus, with Arman and Co. rejecting the offer, Dustin Poirier was instead announced as the opponent for Makhachev.
Speaking in the post-fight presser, Arman revealed when he would be ready to fight Islam. “At the end of June maybe yes. At the end of June, the middle of summer, the end of summer doesn’t matter. I need like rest, 3 weeks, because like I’ve been training since January, non-stop.” Naturally, Arman Tsarukyan would like to have a full camp before his rematch with Islam, seeing that he put up a great fight on short notice.