Arman Tsarukyan defeated Charles Oliveira in their UFC 300 bout in Las Vegas, despite Oliveira nearly choking him out multiple times.
Charles Oliveira had Arman Tsarukyan on the ropes in their UFC 300 bout. It was a close call, with Oliveira nearly choking out Tsarukyan multiple times. But, the Armenian lightweight pulled through. He dug deep and came out on top via split decision at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
In a chat with Canal Encarada, the ex-UFC champ shared his thoughts. He believed Tsarukyan blacked out in the third round. That’s when he had a D’Arce choke locked in, right at the end of the three-round contest.
“30 seconds left, it was tight,” Oliveira said. He loves the D’Arce choke, one of his favorite submissions. He was so sure Tsarukyan was out, he was even joking around. But, well, that’s how the game goes sometimes.
Oliveira has a solid track record with 21 career submissions. Six of them were by way of guillotine choke. He was a bit bummed he couldn’t finish Tsarukyan with that move in the first round.
“Some things aren’t meant to be,” Oliveira mused. He prides himself on his guillotine choke, rarely losing that position. He acknowledged Tsarukyan’s toughness, having landed some strikes and experienced highs and lows. Three rounds, three submissions locked in, and time just ran out. It wasn’t his day.
The fight was neck-and-neck, 19-19 on all three scorecards heading into the final round. Only one judge tipped the scales in favor of the Chute Boxe talent.
“I had to finish him,” Oliveira admitted. But the decision was in the hands of the judges. He tried to finish Tsarukyan more in the first round, and they scored it for him. The second round was a closer call. He ended with a triangle choke locked in, but they gave it to Tsarukyan. In the third, Tsarukyan was on top, but wasn’t doing much. Oliveira finished with a choke locked in, but they still gave it to Tsarukyan. What can you do?
Oliveira is itching to get back to the gym. He’s eager to train for his next bout, but he’s not in a rush. He’s leaving it to his managers, Diego Lima and Jorge Patino, to hash it out with the promotion and decide his next move. He was asked about potential rematches with Max Holloway and Justin Gaethje. They fought for the BMF title that night at the T-Mobile Arena. He’s not sure if those rematches are feasible at the moment.
“We don’t need to get desperate,” Oliveira said. He’s keen to get back to training ASAP. A fight with Max Holloway would be fantastic, but he’s likely to return to his weight class for the 145 title. Justin Gaethje hurt his nose, so they have to think about the next steps.