Main Event Spotlight | UFC Fight Night: Tsarukyan vs Gamrot

Ten days prior to UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Oleinik on April 20, 2019, one of UFC’s most dominant wrestlers, Islam Makhachev, needed an opponent. Enter Arman Tsarukyan, one half of Saturday night’s main event.

Tsarukyan, unaffiliated with UFC up until that point, knew he needed to take advantage of the opportunity to perform at the highest level. In a debut to remember, Tsarukyan went neck-and-neck with one of the division’s most feared contenders, displaying excellent wrestling and grit to last 15 minutes inside the Octagon with the Combat Sambo World Champion.

Don't Miss Any UFC Fight Night: Tsarukyan vs Gamrot 

Although he wouldn’t get his hand raised, Tsarukyan’s performance was nothing to be discouraged about. It was one of Makhachev’s most difficult fights to date, and to put on a Fight of the Night performance against someone who could potentially be next in line for a shot at the vacant lightweight title is quite impressive.

Following the loss, Tsarukyan amassed five consecutive victories, defeating the likes of Olivier Aubin-Mercier and Matt Frevola. Most recently, Tsarukyan earned two successive Performance of the Night bonuses with TKOs against Christos Giagos and Joel Álvarez.

His next opponent, and the other half of this weekend’s headliner, is Mateusz Gamrot. The current 12th ranked contender at 155 pounds, Gamrot has followed a near identical path to his UFC Fight Night opponent.

Tsarukyan's Athlete Profile | Gamrot's Athlete Profile 

Entering UFC a year-and-a-half after Tsarukyan’s debut, Gamrot similarly earned Fight of the Night honors in a split decision loss against Guram Kutateladze. Since that defeat, Gamrot has won all three of his bouts.