Real American Freestyle (RAF) 6 turned ugly night when UFC lightweight Arman Tsarukyan attacked his opponent, Georgio Poullas.
According to talkSport, Tsarukyan was competing for the freestyle wrestling promotion for the second time after previously defeating four-time NCAA Division I All-American Lance Palmer in January.
His match with high school wrestling standout Poullas was bad-tempered from the beginning as both men exchanged slaps and rough tactics on the mat.
Tensions then boiled over when Tsarukyan pushed down Poullas' head at the end of the contest, landing a right hand and a knee before security pulled the pair apart.
The chaos did not stop here as members of both teams rushed the mat and became embroiled in a wild brawl.
The fighting then spilt out into the crowd after a section of attendees began chanting 'USA' in support of Poullas.
Three-time UFC title challenger Colby Covington eventually escorted Poullas backstage as the situation finally died down.
A video later emerged online of Poullas in the back of an ambulance with a neck brace on.
Recalling what happened, he said, “Alright, I want to send a message to all my fans and supporters. I want to thank you guys. I hope you guys got some enjoyment out of the match tonight. Unfortunately, I was jumped. But as you guys saw, my 62-year-old dad and both my brothers came to my rescue.”
“That’s the way we were brought up to fight for each other, no matter what. We were outnumbered by like 12 Armenians, and they came out there running, fighting with me, fighting for me. To Arman, you’re a little b****, and by the way, if you watch the match, I’m the only one that got the takedown. He got a push out and a couple of penalty points. I’m still the champ, baby,” Poullas added.
In the end, Tsarukyan was awarded a 5-3 victory. It remains unclear whether the result will be overturned following the incident.
