Arman Tsarukyan created one of the most talked-about moments at RAF 8 after a takedown on Urijah Faber sent both athletes crashing off the stage.
The sequence unfolded with Tsarukyan already in control of the match.
As he drove forward for a powerful takedown, the momentum carried both fighters off the mat and onto the concrete floor below.
Despite the dangerous fall, neither athlete was injured, and the match resumed shortly afterward.
Speaking after the event, Tsarukyan explained that the moment wasn’t intentional:
I don’t control myself so much so if something happens, it’s not like I was thinking about [doing that].
Something that happened from my mind. It comes right away.
Once the action restarted, Tsarukyan wasted no time reasserting dominance.
He secured another takedown and followed it up with a four-point throw, extending his lead to 13-1 and earning a technical superiority victory.
While this latest moment wasn’t fueled by rivalry, it still drew criticism from within the organization.
RAF executive Izzy Martinez was vocal about his disapproval:
I don’t like it. I don’t like that… Pushing a guy off the stage is pretty dirty to me and I’m not a big fan of that…
I didn’t like it on my end, even though it was viral…
It’s a promotional thing and it is what it is.
For Tsarukyan, the most important outcome was that no one got hurt:
Thank God, Urijah didn’t get hurt and we went viral. We need that.
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