Arman Tsarukyan, UFC lightweight division’s No. 1 contender, will headline two major grappling events later this month, first competing at ACBJJ 20 in Moscow on December 17 before returning to Armenia to headline the inaugural Hype Fighting League event in Yerevan on December 30. The Armenian star will face ACA lightweight champion Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov in Moscow, followed by a main-event grappling matchup against UFC middleweight Sharabutdin Magomedov, also known as Shara Bullet, at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex.
Tsarukyan will headline ACBJJ 20 on December 17 at the Dynamo Arena in Moscow, competing in a No-Gi grappling match in the 80 kg weight class. His opponent will be Abdul-Aziz Abdulvakhabov, the reigning ACA lightweight champion. The bout will serve as the main event of the evening. The ACBJJ 20 tournament will also feature several high-profile bouts under combat jiu-jitsu rules, including Eduard Vartanyan vs Yusuf Raisov and David Mgoyan vs Kantemir Shibzukhov.
On December 30, Tsarukyan will headline the Hype Fighting League (Hype FC) event in Yerevan, facing Sharabutdin Magomedov, also known as Shara Bullet, in the main grappling bout of the night. The event marks the promotion’s inaugural tournament and will take place at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex. Tsarukyan had previously teased that his opponent in Yerevan would be “shocking,” a statement later confirmed with the announcement of Magomedov, who is ranked 14th in the UFC middleweight division.
Under UFC regulations, Tsarukyan is permitted to compete only in grappling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, or other wrestling-based formats outside the UFC, and not in bare-knuckle competition. As a result, both of his December appearances will take place under grappling rules. The Hype FC event will feature a card primarily composed of bare-knuckle fights and will bring together top Armenian and international combat athletes.
Grappling, Main Event
Arman Tsarukyan vs Sharabutdin Magomedov (Shara Bullet)
Bare-Knuckle Fights
Lendrush “Leko” Akopyan vs Amirkhan “White Lion” Oev
Tornike “Toko Gaz” Svanidze vs Ibrahim “Nikarho” Islamov
Sulim “Villain” Bisultanov vs Islam “Sheikh” Ibragimov
Gennadiy “Motivator” Makaryan vs Shamil “Black Prince” Gasanbekov II
Roman “Tornado” Kalashyan vs Suleyman “Executioner” Makhmadov
Edgar “Roubaka” Oganesyan vs Khochbar “Specnaz” Dakaev
Vage “Meks” Sarukhanyan vs Gadji “Rock” Makhdiev
Armen Ataev vs Isa Alibekov
Yakov Bukin vs Muslim Kutuev
Abbi Abdumalik vs Maksim Solovyov
Tsarukyan enters this demanding stretch following a recent victory at a UFC event in Qatar, where he defeated Dan Hooker via arm-triangle choke in the second round in a bout widely viewed as a potential title eliminator. The Hype FC tournament is sponsored by Forged Irish Stout, the beer brand founded by Conor McGregor. Tickets for the Yerevan event are currently on sale.
