Arman Tsarukyan, the UFC lightweight division’s No. 1 contender, delivered a dominant performance in his Real American Freestyle (RAF) debut on January 10, defeating Lance Palmer by 10-0 technical fall in the first period at RAF 5 at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.
Tsarukyan opened the scoring with a front headlock into a takedown and a turn to jump ahead early, then extended the lead through pushouts and continued control. He closed the match with another takedown and a gut-wrench turn to reach the technical fall margin before the first period ended.
After the win, Tsarukyan celebrated with the Armenian flag.
Palmer entered the matchup with a decorated wrestling background, including being a four-time NCAA Division I All-American, and also competed extensively in MMA. Tsarukyan’s pace and physicality, however, dictated the action throughout the brief contest.
The RAF 5 result continues a busy stretch for Tsarukyan outside the UFC. On December 17, he submitted Mehdi Baydulaev at ACBJJ 20 in Moscow to win the promotion’s “Stars Belt,” finishing with 13 seconds remaining.
Tsarukyan then competed again on December 30 in Yerevan, Armenia, fighting Sharabutdin “Shara Bullet” Magomedov to a draw in the Hype FC grappling main event at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concert Complex, with the bout ending without a submission under the match rules.
Tsarukyan’s recent run also includes a major UFC result, submitting Dan Hooker by arm-triangle choke at UFC Qatar in November 2025.
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