{"id":6838,"date":"2026-03-29T14:32:06","date_gmt":"2026-03-29T13:32:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/?p=6838"},"modified":"2026-03-29T19:41:28","modified_gmt":"2026-03-29T18:41:28","slug":"tsarukyan-settles-the-score-and-ignites-a-new-war-from-raf-dominance-to-a-ufc-surge-covington-next-on-the-hit-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/tsarukyan-settles-the-score-and-ignites-a-new-war-from-raf-dominance-to-a-ufc-surge-covington-next-on-the-hit-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Tsarukyan settles the score and ignites a new war: from RAF dominance to a UFC surge\u2026 Covington next on the hit list"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"2872\" data-end=\"3236\">In a scene that reflects the deep transformations shaping the world of combat sports and grappling, <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Arman Tsarukyan<\/span><\/span> once again imposed his authority\u2014this time with a markedly different approach\u2014by defeating <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Georgio Poullas<\/span><\/span> in their rematch at RAF 7. This was not merely a rematch, but a redefinition of dominance itself.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3238\" data-end=\"3691\">From the chaos of their first encounter\u2014tainted by a post-fight brawl\u2014to the disciplined tactical structure of the second, Tsarukyan appeared driven by more than victory. He sought to recalibrate his identity: no longer just a fighter of explosive bursts, but one capable of dictating tempo and control. The bout, tight and calculated, revealed a quiet clash between two philosophies: gradual positional scoring versus decisive, moment-driven execution.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3693\" data-end=\"4177\">For long stretches, the fight remained balanced, even prompting referee interventions due to inactivity. Yet beneath this apparent stalemate, Tsarukyan was methodically building his edge\u2014accumulating control, collecting points\u2014before striking at the critical moment. In what could be described as an \u201ceconomy of violence,\u201d he waited for the perfect opening to deliver a four-point throw, sealing a 9-3 victory. A reminder that tactical intelligence can cut deeper than raw aggression.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"und\" dir=\"rtl\">\ud83e\udd3c\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\u2705 Arman Tsarukyan lands a takedown on Georgio Poullas! \ud83d\udc40\ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n<p>\ud83e\udd3c\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\u2705 \u0623\u0631\u0645\u064a\u0646 \u062a\u0633\u0627\u0631\u0648\u0643\u064a\u0627\u0646 \u064a\u0646\u062c\u062d \u0641\u064a \u0625\u0633\u0642\u0627\u0637 \u062c\u0648\u0631\u062c\u064a\u0648 \u0628\u0648\u0644\u0627\u0633 \u062e\u0644\u0627\u0644 \u0627\u0644\u0646\u0632\u0627\u0644! \ud83d\udc40\ud83d\udd25<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/MMA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#MMA<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/4gxczL7Sxu\">pic.twitter.com\/4gxczL7Sxu<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; mmamag.ma (@jamalsoussi10) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jamalsoussi10\/status\/2038311265534087330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 29, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4179\" data-end=\"4426\">This time, the fight ended not in chaos, but in mutual respect\u2014suggesting that their rivalry had served more as narrative fuel than enduring hostility. An unspoken truth of combat sports: rivalries are often constructed as much as they are fought.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4428\" data-end=\"4710\">Yet Tsarukyan, currently navigating a pivotal phase between grappling competitions and uncertainty within the <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Ultimate Fighting Championship<\/span><\/span>, did not stop at victory. Almost immediately, he shifted focus toward a more polarizing figure: <span class=\"hover:entity-accent entity-underline inline cursor-pointer align-baseline\"><span class=\"whitespace-normal\">Colby Covington<\/span><\/span>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"und\" dir=\"rtl\">\ud83c\udfc6 Arman Tsarukyan defeats Georgio Poullas after a strong performance! \ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n<p>\ud83c\udfc6 \u0623\u0631\u0645\u064a\u0646 \u062a\u0633\u0627\u0631\u0648\u0643\u064a\u0627\u0646 \u064a\u0646\u062a\u0635\u0631 \u0639\u0644\u0649 \u062c\u0648\u0631\u062c\u064a\u0648 \u0628\u0648\u0644\u0627\u0633 \u0628\u0639\u062f \u0623\u062f\u0627\u0621 \u0642\u0648\u064a! \ud83d\udd25 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/SIVWATbtG6\">pic.twitter.com\/SIVWATbtG6<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; mmamag.ma (@jamalsoussi10) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jamalsoussi10\/status\/2038312611930952097?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 29, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4712\" data-end=\"5039\">This call-out was far from incidental. It reflects a sharp awareness of modern fight dynamics, where winning alone is not enough\u2014you must also command the narrative. By targeting Covington, a fighter known as much for his media presence as his skills, Tsarukyan signals his intent to step beyond competition and into influence.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5041\" data-end=\"5286\">At a deeper level, a broader question emerges: is Tsarukyan undergoing a strategic evolution toward UFC supremacy, or is he caught between two worlds\u2014the elite grappling circuit and the relentless pursuit of championship gold inside the octagon?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5288\" data-end=\"5506\" data-is-last-node=\"\" data-is-only-node=\"\">For now, no definitive answers have emerged from within the organization. But one thing is certain: Tsarukyan is no longer just winning fights\u2014he is crafting his position within the sport\u2019s evolving hierarchy of power.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a scene that reflects the deep transformations shaping the world of combat sports and grappling, Arman Tsarukyan once again imposed his authority\u2014this time with a markedly different approach\u2014by defeating Georgio Poullas in their rematch at RAF 7. This was not merely a rematch, but a redefinition of dominance itself. From the chaos of their [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6839,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,45,86],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6838","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-freestyle-wrestling","8":"category-mma","9":"category-mma-video"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6838"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6838"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6838\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6841,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6838\/revisions\/6841"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmamag.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}