The RAF 14 press conference turned into a fight on Thursday. Arman Tsarukyan came out of his seat and charged Dillon Danis after someone asked Danis about the shirt he was wearing, a crude shot at Khamzat Chimaev.
Ariel Helwani was first to flag it on X, writing that “A full on brawl has just broken out between Arman and Dillon.” A few minutes later he filled in the sequence. Danis was wearing a shirt disparaging Chimaev, a question came about it, and Tsarukyan got up and swung. Helwani added he was “not sure if he hit him” before everything came apart. Damon Martin reported that Danis said his shirt read “Khamzat is my bitch,” and that Tsarukyan’s charge nearly set off a riot. Spinnin Backfist posted RAF’s own footage of the melee and a photo of the shirt. That shirt is the whole reason the stage went sideways.
We don’t know yet whether Tsarukyan actually connected, how long it took to separate everyone, or whether anyone got hurt. RAF hadn’t said anything publicly about the incident as of Thursday evening, and there was no word on whether the match is affected.
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Where Everyone Stands
Tsarukyan and Danis are the RAF 14 headliners. RAF is a wrestling promotion, so whatever happens between them is supposed to happen on a mat, with no strikes. On Thursday’s evidence, that rule set is going to feel very confining.
The timing is strange for Tsarukyan. Hours before the presser, he said in clips posted by Championship Rounds and Dovy Simu that he’s been told he’s next for the UFC lightweight title: “As I heard, I’m gonna fight for the title next. Beginning of next year, almost [first quarter].” MMA Fighting reported he’s hoping that shot comes against 155-pound champion Justin Gaethje. He has other suitors too. Undefeated featherweight Movsar Evloev (20-0), who fights Alexander Volkanovski for the 145-pound belt in Saturday’s UFC 333 main event, said at media day that featherweight is his territory and that he’d welcome Tsarukyan if he ever makes 145.
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Chimaev, the target of the shirt, has his own business going. In a clip shared by Dovy Simu via RedCorner MMA, he said he’d give Sean Strickland $1 million out of his own pocket if Strickland accepts a rematch by the next day, and he waved off Strickland’s injuries as BS.
RAF keeps rolling after this one. Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong, a wrestling match, is set for RAF 15 on Nov. 28.
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My Take
Danis wore that shirt for exactly this result, and he got it. He didn’t have to wrestle anybody or win a single scramble. He put on a T-shirt, waited for the question, and one of the best lightweights alive came over the table at him. That’s a great trade for Danis. Tsarukyan, on the other hand, says he’s been told a title shot is coming early next year, and he just risked all of that swinging at a guy in a novelty shirt at a wrestling presser. The loyalty to Chimaev is real, and it’s easy to understand. Still, his UFC bosses are watching that footage, and the only person who gained anything Thursday was the guy wearing the shirt.
