Tsarukyan Scores Buzzer-Beating KO Over Ruffy At UFC 331

Arman Tsarukyan finished Mauricio Ruffy with a brutal standing elbow in the final seconds of the first round Saturday at UFC 331, punching his ticket to a lightweight title shot.

Tsarukyan struggled early to get his offense rolling against Ruffy's stout takedown defense at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The Brazilian repelled multiple wrestling attempts and dropped Tsarukyan briefly with a right hand in the opening frame, per MMA Fighting's live coverage. But after the 10-second clapper, Tsarukyan created separation along the fence and crashed a perfectly timed left elbow into Ruffy's face. The shot put Ruffy out on his feet. A follow-up elbow sent him to the canvas as referee Jason Herzog stepped in at 4:56 of round one.

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What Tsarukyan's Finish Means For Gaethje Title Fight

The sixth straight win for Tsarukyan vaults him into position to challenge lightweight champion Justin Gaethje. MMA Mania reports Tsarukyan entered the co-main event as a heavy betting favorite and knew he needed a finish to erase any doubt. "I knew I needed a finish to secure the title fight and I knew I was going to get it," he said afterward, according to MMA Fighting. He joked that his next opponent is either Gaethje or Mark Zuckerberg.

Tsarukyan had been booked to fight Islam Makhachev for the title at UFC 311 but withdrew a day before the event with a back injury. The loss of that opportunity sent him back to the drawing board, though he stayed sharp with a dominant submission over Dan Hooker earlier this year. Ruffy entered the bout riding a spectacular first-round knockout over Michael Chandler at the UFC White House event in June.

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Tsarukyan is currently ranked second at lightweight in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings. Several fighters in the division took to social media after the stoppage to anoint him as the man to beat at 155 pounds. The title fight with Gaethje has not been officially announced, but Tsarukyan's finish removed any lingering questions about his credentials.

Reported via:

• MMA Fighting — ‘The next champion’: Pros react to Arman Tsarukyan’s UFC 331 statement knockout
• MMA Fighting — UFC 331 live blog: Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy
• MMA Mania — Highlights! Arman Tsarukyan punches ticket to lightweight title shot after buzzer-beating elbow knockout over Mauricio Ruffy | UFC 331