Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Arman Tsarukyan just couldn't wait long enough to get inside the cage to mix it up at UFC 300 on Saturday night.
In a video obtained by the U.K. sports website talkSPORT, Tsarukyan, the No. 4 lightweight contender in the UFC, can be seen throwing a punch at a fan moments before his fight with former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliverira at UFC 300 in Las Vegas.
The fan appeared to be making an obscene gesture at Tsarukyan as he was walking towards the Octagon, talkSPORT noted.
Footage shows the fan who Arman Tsarukyan punched during his #UFC300 walkout was giving the fighter the middle finger 🖕
— Violent Money TV (@ViolentMoneyTV) April 15, 2024
In retaliation, Tsarukyan lunged into the crowd and threw a punch at the fan, but was quickly restrained by security and resumed his march toward the cage.
In his post-fight news conference, UFC CEO Dana White didn't sound very concerned that one of his fighters had launched an assault into the crowd -- however brief it was.
The news conference is below.
Warning: White's comments contain graphic language that might offend listeners.
https://www.youtube.com/live/TG9dx1NrL3Y?si=n2n6_y4MTcaJKLoF
“Yeah, you might not want to hang over things and grab people when they’re walking out," White said, addressing the fans. "These guys are all [expletive] hyped up and whatever.
"I’m sure, we’re probably going to get sued, but we’ll deal with that on Monday, too."
Tsarukyan wasn't apologetic when reporters questioned him about the incident after the fight.
“He showed, 'f*** you' and wanted to punch me, and I wanted to punch him back, that’s it," Tsarukyan said in his heavily accented English. "No one shows me ‘f*** you’ ... it doesn’t matter who you are, I’m going to punch you in the face.
"I'm like, from Russia. Don't do that, please, or I'm going to go to the prison in U.S."
Now while Tsarukyan's actions are in no way acceptable here, it's not wise for fans to be throwing punches at professional fighters just as they are about to enter battle.
On the flipside, Tsarukyan is a professional fighter, and should act like it. Being a professional comes with a certain set of standards that you have to abide by, even when you don't want to.
And typically, this includes not punching people you're not supposed to.
So, in this case, while both parties are at fault, Tsarukyan did a greater disservice to himself and his employer, which could ultimately lead to unfortunate legal consequences.
In spite of the incident, Tsarukyan walked away with the victory on Saturday night, edging out a split-decision victory over Oliverira in a back-and-forth battle.
Tsarukyan hopes that his victory puts him in line for a championship fight against current 155-pound king and UFC No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, Islam Makhachev.
Tsarukyan had a simple message for Makhachev when asked about a potential matchup.
"See you soon, boy."
But regardless of whom he fights next, hopefully, next time Tsarukyan only throws his punches at the person he's supposed to.
