Pimblett Rips Tsarukyan's Wrestling After UFC 331

Paddy Pimblett sees holes in Arman Tsarukyan's game after watching the Armenian knock out Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331.

Tsarukyan stopped Ruffy with a brutal elbow from the clinch in the first round of their Sept. 19 co-main event in Los Angeles, cementing his status as the top lightweight contender. But Pimblett told fans on his YouTube channel that Tsarukyan looked vulnerable before landing the finish and couldn't execute his wrestling game plan against the Brazilian, per Sherdog.

"I think he looked pretty sh*t until that elbow," Pimblett said of Tsarukyan's performance. "His eyes were messed up already. Wish he never landed that, just to see how the second and the third would have went."

Pimblett Questions Tsarukyan's Takedown Game

The Liverpool fighter pointed to Tsarukyan's failed takedown attempts as evidence the lightweight contender overrates his wrestling. Ruffy caught Tsarukyan early with a right hand that visibly damaged him before the clinch elbow ended the fight.

"I think that showed holes in his game," Pimblett said. "His wrestling isn't as good as he thinks it is. His eye's mashed up off that one right hand. I would have liked to see how that fight went on, 'cause he couldn't get Ruffy down."

Tsarukyan now stands as the clear next challenger for UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje. Pimblett and former featherweight king Ilia Topuria have both lost to Gaethje and lobbied for rematches.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Paddy Pimblett rips Arman Tsarukyan’s wrestling performance at UFC 331