Arman Tsarukyan continued his side quests by submitting a UFC veteran – a much smaller UFC veteran, to be exact.
In the main event of Hype FC, a martial arts event featuring bareknuckle boxing fights and submission-only grappling, Tsarukyan took on former UFC flyweight contender Muhammad Mokaev. The submission-only grappling match was scheduled for one 10-minute round, but Tsarukyan got the job done before the time limit, putting Mokaev out cold with a rear-naked choke at 7:46.
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Mokaev, despite being a much smaller competitor than the No. 1 UFC lightweight contender Tsarukyan, defended himself well initially. Tsarukyan’s size and skill eventually became too much, and Mokaev was put to sleep by the submission.
Check out video of the finish below:
Tsarukyan was awarded a Hype FC championship belt. During his post-fight interview, he said his ultimate goal is to become UFC champion, but if he doesn’t get a call from the promotion soon, he’ll continue his side quests to stay active. He also took the opportunity to call out newly-crowned BMF champion, Charles Oliveira, since the division’s champion Ilia Topuria and interim champion Justin Gaethje are on a collision course at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House.
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The last UFC bout Tsarukyan competed in was at UFC Fight Night 265 in November, where he submitted Dan Hooker in the second round. Since then, he’s competed in multiple wrestling and grappling competitions while he awaits his next call from the UFC, which could be a while since promotion CEO Dana White admits he isn’t exactly high on the No. 1 contender at the moment due to past antics.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Arman Tsarukyan sleeps Muhammad Mokaev, calls out Charles Oliveira
