Johnson Spots His Lesson In Tsarukyan's UFC 331 KO

Demetrious Johnson recognized his own coaching in Arman Tsarukyan's first-round knockout of Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331.

Tsarukyan stopped Ruffy with an elbow at 4:56 of the opening round, a finish that grew directly out of clinch positions the two worked on in training. Johnson broke down the sequence on his YouTube channel and pointed to Tsarukyan's decision to stay aggressive against the fence instead of chasing a takedown.

Johnson's Clinch Advice In Action

"Now, instead of just wrestling here, like I said, you don't have to wrestle here," Johnson said in the video, per Sherdog. "Look, he's already here. That's one of the things I showed him. Usually people want to wrestle here, but I told him, 'You don't have to wrestle.'"

The UFC Hall of Famer backed Tsarukyan for a title shot against lightweight champion Justin Gaethje and said the clinch work will matter in that matchup. Johnson dismissed the idea of other contenders jumping the line.

"Those are things that he's going to need when he takes on Justin Gaethje, because Justin can push the pace," Johnson said. "He can do a lot of damage. He can wrestle, too. This is the fight that needs to happen. We don't need to worry about Ilia Topuria. This man is owed a title shot."

Tsarukyan is expected to meet Gaethje in the first quarter of 2027.

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• Sherdog — Demetrious Johnson spots his lesson in Arman Tsarukyan's UFC 331 KO