Arman Tsarukyan vs Damir Ismagulov booked for UFC Fight Night 216
We’ve got another very exciting contest going down at UFC Fight Night 216, and that’s a bout between lightweight contenders in no. 10 ranked Arman Tsarukyan (18-3) and no. 11 ranked Damir Ismagulov (24-1).
UFC Fight Night 216 is to go down on December 17, 2022, live from the UFC Apex in Enterprise, Nevada, and is to be headlined by a middleweight affair between no. 2 ranked former title challenger Jared Cannonier (15-6) and no. 7 ranked Sean Strickland (25-4).
Reverting back to our lightweight showcase; it’s honestly surprising neither of these talents are ranked inside of the top 10. They’re both incredibly skilled in all facets of the game, both are true technicians in the sport.
Beginning with Damir Ismagulov:
The Russian talent first came to the Ultimate Fighting Championship in December of 2018 as the APFC & M-1 Challenge lightweight champion with a record of 19-1. He’s gone 5-0 since then, and the only two critiques anyone could have on him; all five wins come via decision, and he hasn’t been the most active since arriving.
For instance, when he defeated Guram Kutateladze earlier this year in June, he hadn’t fought in 13 months. And, his fight before that was just three months shy of two years since his last performance.
If Ismagulov can remain active in the UFC’s lightweight division, he could be a potential future champion.
At 31 years of age, turning 32 in February of 2023, the time is now.
Moving to Arman Tsarukyan:
Then we have Armenian talent Arman Tsarukyan, who came to the UFC in April of 2019 with a record of 13-1.
Tsarukyan was dealt one of the toughest promotional debuts in the sports history, as he was slated to take on current no. 2 ranked lightweight Islam Makhachev. Though he’d lose the bout via unanimous decision, he took Makhachev down once, the only opponent of Makhachev’s to ever do so, and he even won a round against him.
Following this defeat, Tsarukyan would win his next five-straight, improving his record to 18-2 going into his main event slot against former multi-time KSW lightweight champion Mateusz Gamrot, who came into the bout with a record of 20-1.
Gamrot’s only defeat came to Guram Kutateladze himself, and it was a heavily disputed split decision.
So really, there’s no shame in losing to him. And even so, many believed Tsarukyan to be the victor after five rounds were completed. It was a very close fight that could’ve gone either way.
Ismagulov boasts a Master of Sport in Army Hand-to-Hand Combat, while Tsarukyan boasts Master of Sports in both MMA and Freestyle Wrestling. This is going to be a good one!
Who comes out on top in this lightweight affair going down at UFC Fight Night 216?
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