Don’t blame “Ahalkalakets.”
But nobody’s really talking about the scorecards.
Immediately after the final whistle blew, Tsarukyan punched Poullas — and seconds later, chaos erupted. Corners flooded the mat, officials scrambled, and a full-on brawl broke out.
Check it out below:
Tsarukyan finally broke his silence in an interview with Ariel Helwani, explaining what led to the post-match punch.
“I mean, his game plan was just to fight during the [wrestling match], make hype,” Tsarukyan said. “Natural wrestlers never do that because it’s disrespectful. The referee can disqualify you, but this referee was just taking points from him. He punched two times. They warned him, said, ‘If you do it one more time, we’ll cut you from wrestling,’ and the referee still kept waiting. He’s just punching me.”
Throughout the match, Poullas appeared to mix in slaps and rough tactics in an effort to rattle the UFC contender — something that clearly worked.
“He hit me maybe 20 times. He’s trying to poke eyes, break my fingers,” Tsarukyan continued. “I always showed the referee. I thought he was going to wrestle. When he started punching, I said, ‘Okay, this guy wants to fight.’ I was waiting for the wrestling to be done, and in that moment, I wanted to punch him right away. I won. I heard the whistle. I said, ‘Okay, now it’s time.’”
Tsarukyan is no stranger to losing his temper when provoked, which has led him to being blacklisted from the UFC title picture for now. Whether it is hitting a fan in the stands after he got flipped off or headbutting Dan Hooker just a day before their UFC Qatar fight — Tsarukyan has priors.
The No. 1-ranked Lightweight contender has promised he would keep his behavior in check after being skipped for a title shot after the Hooker debacle. Still, Tsarukyan insists this one wasn’t on him.
“This is not my fault,” he said. “Everybody is on my side now. I was waiting six minutes. He was punching me for six minutes. What are you going to do if somebody punches you 20 times? You’re not going to let him do that. People are happy that a UFC fighter goes to freestyle wrestling, beats a freestyle wrestler, and shows the level of UFC.”
For now, Tsarukyan remains on the sidelines awaiting his next Octagon assignment — though he already has another grappling match booked in the meantime.
