Arman Tsarukyan vs. Urijah Faber is an odd matchup on paper, but the pre-fight beef is as classic as it gets.
The current UFC lightweight contender takes on the UFC Hall of Famer on Saturday in the co-main event of RAF 8 in Philadelphia. Faber, a former WEC champion and two-time UFC title challenger, retired from MMA competition in 2019 but has continued to participate in wrestling and grappling competitions. The 46-year-old now challenges Tsarukyan, 29, who has emerged as one of the faces of RAF.
Asked if he misses pre-fight trash talk, Faber said he’s enjoying his dynamic with Tsarukyan, even if he feels Tsarukyan’s persona is a tad manufactured.
“I love good banter,” Faber said at a pre-event press conference on Thursday. “This guy, he’s good at it. I think he took some pages out of guys in the past that felt slighted, like he didn’t get his opportunity. Came together with his family, hired a good staff, they said, ‘What do we have here?’ He doesn’t speak very well. He’s Armenian. Raised in Georgia, lives in Russia… let’s have him waste a lot of food, rent people’s stuff, waste money. Great brand. Great brand.”
That led to this exchange:
Tsarukyan: “Don’t be jealous. Don’t be jealous because you cannot do the same. You lose, always.”
Faber: “Do I look jealous to you?”
Tsarukyan: “Everybody always jealous.”
Faber: “The answer is no. … Brother, do you own a private jet? You’re wasting money. Don’t do that.”
Faber’s jet knock refers to Tsarukyan having to secure private charter after being kicked off of an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Philadelphia for his RAF appearanecs.
Tsarukyan appeared to shrug off the incident, blaming it on a misunderstanding, and then flaunting his ability to fly on a jet instead to make Friday’s press conference. The move is in line with Tsarukyan’s social media presence, which typically sees him living a life of luxury, especially when it comes to eating extravagant meals. When Faber accused Tsarukyan of wasting food, Tsarukyan fired back by criticizing Faber’s physique.
Tsarukyan: “Bro, look at my body and your body. I waste, but you just eat as much as possible.”
Faber: “This is the body of the best dad on the planet, are you kidding me? This is the golden bad dad bod.”
Tsarukyan: “Please, tomorrow, when we’re going to wrestle, give him shorts and a T-shirt because on the singlet he looks like fat ass, I don’t know, he doesn’t look like a fighter, wrestler. What are you doing, bro?”
Faber: “I can do whatever I want. I’m proud of that. What I call it is ‘healthy.’”
Tsarukyan: “You’ve got to fast from today until tomorrow. You’ve got to look at least good, like a fighter because when I’m going to wrestle you, my dad is going to call me, ‘Why did you take this fat ass? You couldn’t find a better wrestler.”
Faber: “Listen, buddy, the proof is in the pudding. I love pudding.”
Tsarukyan enters Saturday’s wrestling match as a heavy favorite. He is 17 years younger than Faber and an active fighter, with a 10-2 record in the UFC’s loaded lightweight division. Currently, Tsarukyan is MMA Fighting’s No. 2 fighter at 155 pounds, behind only undisputed champion Ilia Topuria.
All of those accolades are exactly why Faber was eager to sign on for this test.
“I think you guys can tell I’m not the scared type,” Faber said. “I love the challenge. Wrestling is a character-building sport and that’s why I kind of say there’s some things about Arman that I really respect and I go between ‘this is a real man’ and ‘now he’s a spoiled brat, now he’s a real man.’ I’ve got to give him credit for loving a sport like this, but this is a character-developing sport where you can step in and roll the dice and hold your head high and look for opportunity.
“I look for opportunity, not guarantees. For me, this is an opportunity and I’m looking forward to getting my hands on Arman. I don’t think he understands quite what a competitor I am, my history. He’s great at what he does but this is a real match and I’m going to be there right in his face.”
