Crazy Night of Grappling and Chaos in Rio

Arman Tsarukyan won a tough match against Muhammad Mokaev in a grappling bout that lasted ten minutes. He used his size and skill to control the fight, grabbing Mokaev’s back and finishing with a rear‑naked choke at 7:46. After the win, Tsarukyan said he still wants to be the top lightweight in the UFC and hinted at future fights with Dillon Danis and Charles Oliveira. The event was part of Hype Brazil’s lineup, held at Farmasi Arena in Rio de Janeiro. It featured several former UFC fighters who had already fought Tsarukyan, like Giorgio Poullas and Lance Palmer. Other matches on the card ended in draws. Jean Silva and Bryce Mitchell, as well as Edson Barboza and Shara Magomedov, all went ten minutes without a winner.The night also had many interruptions. A bare‑knuckle bout between Mauricio Boni and Leonardo Guimaraes was stopped early by the ring announcer, Valter Walker, who wanted more action. Walker then had two people from the crowd step into the ring for a spontaneous fight. One was the event’s security chief, and the other was just a fan who soon decided he didn’t want to fight. A planned grappling match between Lev Sarkisyan and Joilton Lutterbach turned into a chaotic brawl, with the referee getting hit by kicks while trying to control the situation. Despite the disorder, Tsarukyan’s performance was clear: he dominated his opponent and finished early. He is scheduled to face Poullas again on March 28.