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Arman Tsarukyan claims Justin Gaethje is avoiding him following KO win over Mauricio Ruffy: "He's going to play around bullsh*t game"

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Arman Tsarukyan claims Justin Gaethje is avoiding him following KO win over Mauricio Ruffy: "He's going to play around bullsh*t game"

Arman Tsarukyan doesn't think reigning UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje wants any part of him.

Tsarukyan knew the stakes going into the UFC 331 co-headliner. “The Batman†accepted a clash with Mauricio Ruffy, and many felt it was a risk given the Brazilian's striking power despite Tsarukyan being a sizable favorite. Tsarukyan left no doubt as to who the No. 1 contender is for a lightweight title shot, as he delivered a crushing knockout off an elbow in the opening round.

In the midst of his spectacular finish, Tsarukyan told reporters that Gaethje hoped that Ruffy would pull off the upset because he isn't thrilled about having to face him next (h/t MMAFighting).

“Justin Gaethje, he never tells my name,†Tsarukyan said. “He's scared. He wanted Ruffy to knock me out. It means he's trying to avoid me, and he's going to try to call out Ilia Topuria or tell [the UFC], ‘I want $15 million for Arman Tsarukyan or I'm retired.' He's going to play around bullshit game.

“But UFC — either he's going to fight me, or he's going to give the title opportunity for the young guys. We have a lot of contenders right now.â€

The UFC broadcast team was unanimously in favor of Tsarukyan deserving the role of Gaethje's first title challenger. Longtime color commentator Joe Rogan went as far as to tell Tsarukyan that he made it obvious with his performance during the post-fight interview.

Now, the only question appears to be centered around a date. Gaethje has said that another bout in 2026 is off the table. “The Highlight†injured both of his hands during his title win over Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250. We'll keep you posted with updates on Gaethje's status once those details become available.

As it stands now, would you pick Arman Tsarukyan or Justin Gaethje to walk out with UFC gold? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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MMA

BKB 59 results: Julian Fernandez rallies for KO in Mexico debut

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BKB 59 results: Julian Fernandez rallies for KO in Mexico debut

Bare Knuckle Boxing made its debut in Mexico on Sept. 19.

BKB 59 went down at Auditorio Municipal in Tijuana, Mexico.
Tijuana's own Julian Fernandez put his super cruiserweight title on
the line against Dan Podmore in the main event.

Julian Fernandez stops Dan Podmore after an early knockdown at
BKB 59

Fernandez survived an early first-round knockdown and returned the
favor later in the round. He took a little over a minute in the
second round to finish Podmore.

Cecy Ulloa took on Andy Nguyen for the super flyweight title in the
co-main event at BKB 59. Ulloa put on a beating on Nguyen for three
rounds, leaving her unable to answer the bell for the fourth.

Here are the complete BKB 59 results:

Julian Fernandez def. Dan Podmore via KO (1:12 of Round 2)
Cecy Ulloa def. Andy Nguyen via TKO (2:00 of Round 3)
Romario Ovalle vs. Marco Chino Villa ruled a No Contest due to an
accidental headbutt (0:45 of Round 3)
Pablo Felipe Anguiano def. Ricardo Ramses Rueda via KO (0:41 of
Round 1)
Adrian Gonzalez def. Javier Santiago Valverde via TKO (2:16 of
Round 1)
Felipe Abraham Huerta def. Erick Eduardo Soria via TKO (2:32 of
Round 3)
Jonathan Duran def. Kevin Millan Sanchez via KO (1:59 of Round
2)
Jesus Navarrete via KO (0:17 of Round 1)
Ramon Olivas def. Jovani Misael Sanchez via KO (2:29 of Round
1)
Sergio Zarate def. Rolando Paredes via Unanimous Decision (49-46,
49-46, 49-46)
Jesus Rodriguez def. Ricardo Ibarra via KO (2:18 of Round 1)
Norberto Pozos Flores def. Mauricio Anaya by TKO (1:42 of Round 1)

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MMA

Dana White gets brutally honest about potential Josh Hokit title reign

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Dana White gets brutally honest about potential Josh Hokit title reign
Dana
White isn't looking forward to a potential Josh Hokit
title reign in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Hokit will challenge Ciryl Gane
for the UFC heavyweight championship at UFC
334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Gane
was elevated to undisputed champion following Tom
Aspinall's relinquishment of the belt and “The Incredible Hokâ€
will be the Frenchman's first challenger.

Dana White addresses Josh Hokit ahead of his UFC 334 title
fight against Ciryl Gane

White hasn't been coy about his views on Hokit, who has drawn the
ire of the UFC CEO previously, especially for his antics before and
during
UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.

With the unbeaten heavyweight now set to headline MSG, White was
asked about the same at the UFC
331 post-fight presser.

“I got a lot of thoughts on that,†White said. “Yeah, lots and
lots. I'm sure they're the same thoughts that you're all having. I
doubt we're that different. Yeah.â€

When pressed about Hokit's controversial promotion style, White
reiterated his stance of letting fighters say whatever they want
and that he doesn't have to have a positive relationship with an
athlete for them to thrive in the promotion.

“I don't police what people say and any of that sh*t and if you
keep winning…†White added. “I say it all the time, I don't have to
like you for you to thrive here and you do well and be successful.
Many people that I do not like have done very well here. I'm not
saying I don't like Josh Hokit; I literally don't like anything
Josh Hokit says. And that's not going to change unless he changes
and I don't see that happening.â€

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Joshua Van answers ‘accident win’ critics after UFC 331 rematch

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Joshua Van answers ‘accident win’ critics after UFC 331 rematch
Joshua
Van further solidified his status as the undisputed
Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight king at UFC
331.

Van retained his title with a unanimous decision over former
champion Alexandre
Pantoja in the UFC 331 main event at Crypto.com Arena in Los
Angeles. The judges scored the bout 49-46, 49-47 and 50-45 for Van,
who had nothing but respect for his Brazilian counterpart after
their clash.

Joshua Van defeats Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision at
UFC 331

Their first fight ended in anticlimactic fashion last year, with
Van winning the title after an arm injury to Pantoja forced a
referee stoppage early in the first round. The former then defended
his title against Tatsuro
Taira, but questions remained over whether he's still the best
125-pounder while Pantoja recovered from his injury.

Van silenced the doubters with his performance at UFC 331, landing
significant damage while escaping most grappling entanglements. He
even attempted a submission of his own, but the former champ
managed to get out of it.

“A lot of people say that was an accident win the first time,†Van
said in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. “Now, doubt me
now. Shout out to Pantoja. Nothing but respect for me. He’s a tough
man. He’s hard to finish. I did my submission, but I don’t know how
the hell he got out of that. I usually, with that move, I get
everybody in the gym, but I don’t know how the hell he got out of
that.â€

The duo won Fight of the Night honors for their five-round war.

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