Fans at RAF 6 on Saturday got far more than they expected when Arman Tsarukyan faced off against Georgio Poullas inside Mullett Arena in Tempe. What started as a wrestling match quickly spiraled out of control into a full-blown brawl between both camps. Security reportedly took several minutes to restore order as fighters and team members clashed on the mat.
Poullas, recovering from the altercation in an ambulance, shared his side on Instagram.
“Alright, I want to send a message to all my fans and supporters,” Poullas said. “I want to thank you guys, I hope you got some enjoyment out of the match tonight. Unfortunately, I was jumped.
“But as you saw, my 62-year-old dad and both my brothers came to my rescue. That’s the way we were brought up — to fight for each other no matter what. We were outnumbered by like 12 Armenians, and they came running, fighting with me, fighting for me.
“So that’s f—king love. That’s how we were raised. To Arman, you’re a little b—-. And by the way, if you watch the match, I’m the only one that got the takedown. He got a push out and a couple of penalty points. I’m still the champ, baby.”
The chaos reportedly began when team Tsarukyan claimed Poullas threw punches during the grappling exchanges. That sparked a melee, with members from both sides rushing the mat and trading blows. Former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili, in attendance, later urged the fighters to settle their differences for a proper rematch.
“First, what I want to see is you and Arman shake hands and make this rematch happen,” Dvalishvili said. “I know you guys respect each other. It was hard to watch.”
The tension had been building prior to the match. Poullas, who gained fame online for offering $1,000 to anyone who could take him down, had thrown verbal jabs at Tsarukyan leading up to the event. Tsarukyan, UFC lightweight contender and top-ranked fighter, reportedly attempted a backhanded slap after the second period ended — missing the mark — before landing punches that escalated the fight.
Tsarukyan later posted a blunt response on social media. “F*ck around and find out,” he wrote.
This isn’t Tsarukyan’s first time making headlines for his temper. The UFC lightweight previously head-butted Dan Hooker during a pre-fight faceoff in Qatar last November, breaking Hooker’s nose before ultimately submitting him in the second round.
