Ultimate Fighting Championship.
Tsarukyan extended his winning streak to six in a row and further strengthened his contender for the top spot. UFC 331 With a first round knockout win in Los Angeles
Mauricio Ruffy. White praised the top-ranked lightweight in the post-fight presser, praising his return to the Octagon.
Arman Tsarukyan’s knockout of Mauricio Ruffy earned high praise from UFC CEO
Tensions between Tsarukyan and White arose after the former withdrew from his lightweight title fight Islam Makhachov the evening before weighing. He later drew criticism from the UFC CEO for fighting with fans and other fighters.
White acknowledged that Tsarukyan’s relationship with the UFC had soured during the aforementioned events, but “Batman” has changed his position with the company.
“I’ve said I wasn’t crazy about some of the things he had done,” White said. “But you know what, when you screw up, you come back and do everything right. I mean, he couldn’t have had a better comeback after the things he’d done that I wasn’t thrilled about.”
White admitted that he initially believed the fight was going in Luffy’s favor before the elbow knockout that earned him Performance of the Night honors.
“And then to go in and perform like he did tonight,” White added. “At the end of that round, I thought, oh shit, man, he’s in for a rough night. And then boom, elbow. Unbelievable.”
