UFC lightweight prospect Arman Tsarukyan ends Damir Ismagulov‘s 19-fight win streak and puts on a masterclass to pick up the unanimous decision win.
Arman Tsarukyan opened the fight with a head kick. But, Damir Ismagulov is an elite striker and he looked to be in a mood to fire back immediately. However, Arman had other plans as he landed an early takedown. He was planning on using his striking to set up the takedown. But, Ismagulov has a sambo background and he did not stay on the mat for long.
Only 2 more fights left in 2022@ArmanUfc vs Damir Ismagulov is one you don’t want to miss🔥
— UFC (@ufc) December 18, 2022
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Damir stood back up very soon and even managed to reserve a position at the closing minutes of the first round to end up mounting Arman. Neither fighter did any particular damage to the other. But, Arman was certainly more active with all the offensive grappling. It was not just his grappling, Arman was also very sharp on his feet as well.
On top of landing some stiff strikes, it also led to another takedown very early in round two. Arman almost secured a rear-naked choke in the round. But, Ismagulov’s defensive wrestling was on point and he managed to escape the submission attempt swiftly. He also landed a big strike in the round, which wobbled Tsarukyan for a second.
Arman Tsarukyan beats Damir Ismagulov at UFC Vegas 66 via unanimous decision
Arman Tsarukyan did not manage to do anything spectacular throughout the fight. He just did enough to keep Damir on the backfoot. He just distracted Ismagulov with his movements on the feet to secure the eventual takedown. It was the case in the third round as well. The 26-year-old did not let Qazak build up any momentum.
Time and time again in the bout, Arman Tsarukyan got the fight to the ground whenever Damir was looking to string up some form of offense. But, Damir also showed that he will be a problem for a lot of other fighters in the division. He survived every submission attempt from Arman and did not absorb any substantial damage.
Dominant from start to finish @ArmanUFC takes home the UD victory😤 #UFCVegas66 pic.twitter.com/tjv8mT5v9s
— UFC (@ufc) December 18, 2022
Despite that, the Armenian-Russian fighter was flawless in the bout. It just goes to show how good Tsarukyan is. He won the bout via unanimous decision as all three judges had the bout, 30-27, for Arman. After the bout, he brought up his previous bout against Islam Makhachev and revealed that he wants to build up enough momentum to get the rematch. Hence, he called for a Top 5 opponent for his next bout.
Throughout the bout, Arman landed 7 takedowns in total and handily dominated Damir Ismagulov. So it looks like he is definitely ready for a high-ranked opponent for his next fight. He has also left the loss to Mateusz Gamrot behind. Will he get the Top 5 opponent that he wants for his next fight? Only time will tell.