Tsarukyan further bolstered his claim for a title shot
Ultimate Fighting Championship at UFC 331strikes out Mauricio Ruffy elbow at 4:56 of the opening round. The technique he used to deliver the knockout was among the positions he trained with Johnson.
Arman Tsarukyan used Demetrious Johnson’s advice against Mauricio Ruffy
Johnson interrupted the finish and emphasized Tsarukyan’s decision to stay aggressive up close rather than looking for another takedown right away as he sent Luffy into the Octagon wall.
“Now, instead of just wrestling here like I said, you don’t have to wrestle here,” Johnson said in a video posted to his YouTube channel. “Look, he’s already here. That’s one thing I showed him. Usually people here want to wrestle, but I told him, ‘You don’t have to wrestle.'”
The UFC Hall of Fame also endorsed Tsarukyan for his title shot against the lightweight champion Justin Gaethje.
“Those are the things he needs going up against Justin Gaethje because Justin can push the pace,” Johnson said. “He can do a lot of damage. He can also wrestle. This is a fight that has to happen. We don’t have to worry Ilia Topuria. This man is owed a title.”
🐐🧠 Demetrius Johnson teaching Armani some clinch work.
Mighty stressed that Arman needs to ditch the wrestling-heavy approach to MMA:
“You hold him, but in MMA it’s better to take his arm off you, hit a left hook to the body, a right hook to the head.”
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight)
20 September 2026
