Arman Tsarukyan was worried he might be at a disadvantage after losing in his UFC debut.
Tsarukyan (21-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) was rushed into action in April 2019 to face current UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev (25-1 MMA, 14-1 UFC) did. Tsarukyan showed a valiant effort. However, he fell short with a unanimous decision loss.
Then he faced another high-level grappler named Olivier Aubin-Mercier, and that's when the fear started. The younger Tsarukyan considered this a must-win fight with his UFC career at stake.
“The hardest fight in the UFC was the second fight (against Olivier Aubin-Mercier),” Tsarukyan told Red Corner MMA. “I lost to Islam and flew to Canada without a coach. I was nervous because if I had lost, they might have removed me from the UFC – 0-2 in the UFC. My career would be over. So I was afraid of embarrassing myself.”
Tsarukyan again won a fierce battle. However, Tsarukian believes that the nature of the fight's winnings prevented him from becoming a favorite for the promotion.
“I won the first round, but the second round was close, and it was in Canada,” Tsarukian said. “So I'm sitting in the corner and saying to myself, 'If I lose the third fight, it's over.' I managed to win the fight, but the UFC didn't like the way I won.
“And for a few years they didn't treat me very well. I didn't get as many fights as I wanted to. But then they realized my true potential. I'm on a five-fight winning streak So they saw in me the makings of a champion, and now I'm in the position I've always wanted to be in.”
Tsarukyan is 8-1 since his loss to Makhachev and is at the top of the title race. He will face former champion Charles Oliveira (34-9 MMA, 22-9 UFC) at UFC 300 on April 13th, a No. 1 contender's fight according to UFC CEO Dana White. That's what it means.
For more information on this card, check out MMA Junkie's UFC 300 event hub.
The story originally appeared on MMA Junkie
