UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan, following his controversial wrestling win and post-match brawl with Georgio Poullas at RAF 6, defended his actions in an interview on The Ariel Helwani Show. He accused Poullas of provoking the incident with repeated fouls and insisted he showed restraint during the bout.
The brawl erupted immediately after Tsarukyan's points victory over Poullas on February 28, 2026, at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Arizona, during Real American Freestyle 6, as detailed in prior coverage. Tsarukyan claimed Poullas committed multiple fouls throughout the eight-round match, including punches, slaps, attempted eye pokes, and finger-breaking attempts. Despite referee warnings and point deductions, Poullas was not disqualified.
Tsarukyan explained his post-whistle response in the March 2 interview: "I was waiting like six minutes. He was like punching me for six minutes. This is not my fault. Everybody is on my side now." He emphasized adhering to wrestling norms and anticipated no UFC punishment, referencing his past incidents like headbutting Dan Hooker and a fan altercation at UFC 300 as evidence of resilience.
UFC middleweight champion Khamzat Chimaev called Tsarukyan immediately after, joking, "Bro, should I fly out? Why didn’t you invite me? When there’s a fight, you never invite me! I gotta be there!"
Fellow UFC fighter Merab Dvalishvili backed Tsarukyan on the show: "I think Georgio started that; he was doing too much."
RAF officials have expressed disappointment but issued no discipline. Tsarukyan praised the promotion's hospitality, declined a wrestling rematch, and proposed a street fight or MMA bout instead. He plans to attend UFC 326 on March 8 without word from UFC officials.
