LAS VEGAS – Arman Tsarukyan knew he had to finish Joaquim Silva at UFC on ESPN 46.
Tsarukyan (20-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC) stopped Silva (12-4 MMA, 5-4 UFC) by Round 3 TKO this past Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. He was a massive favorite heading into the fight.
Tsarukyan was well aware of the risk of fighting unranked Silva, but couldn’t get anyone to accept the matchup with him. It was mostly a dominant performance for Tsarukyan, but things almost turned south for him when he was stunned in Round 2. That’s when he felt the pressure of putting him away.
“I (made) some mistakes, but I’m so happy I finished him because if I didn’t finish him, nobody (was) going to talk about me,” Tsarukyan told reporters, including MMA Junkie, post-fight at UFC on ESPN 46. “That’s why I went forward like pressure, pressure, non-stop working. I wanted to make him tired (in the) first round and knock him out second round. It was the game plan.
“We have been working so much for this. It was our good game plan with my coaches, but he was super tough. I couldn’t stop him in the second round, and I said, ‘No way – this is the third round, and it just started. I’ve got to do something. I’ve got to go forward. F*ck it, Arman. Let’s go, because you won a decision against Damir Ismagulov.'”
Tsarukyan, who expressed interest in fighting Beneil Dariush or Michael Chandler next, hopes to get a boost in the lightweight standings despite beating an unranked opponent. He thinks the media never gave him credit for snapping the win streak of Damir Ismagulov.
“Damir Ismagulov is one of the best fighters in our division,” Tsarukyan continued. “I (beat him with a) decision – you guys don’t even say good words to me. I beat him three rounds, super easy, and I stayed in the same position. It’s so disrespectful. This fight, I think they’ve got to put me in the top five because I deserve it.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 46.
