Merab Dvalishvili Hits Out At Arman Tsarukyan

Merab Dvalishvili went public with his refusal to share a mat with Arman Tsarukyan, citing a lack of sportsmanship.

The fallout centers on the main event of RAF 08. While Tsarukyan walked away with a technical fall victory over Urijah Faber, the manner in which the match ended has caused a rift. Tsarukyan and the 46-year-old Faber tumbled off the stage and onto the arena floor. Dvalishvili, who was being courted for a match against Tsarukyan for a future RAF card, has officially distanced himself from the booking.

While Dvalishvili’s criticism is a blow to the grappling circuit’s prestige, Tsarukyan remains the most active elite fighter outside of the Octagon. He has racked up five consecutive wins in the promotion. Tsarukyan is moving forward with his “side quest” schedule, set to face Mugzy in a middleweight bout on May 30 at RAF 9 in Arlington, Texas. These matches serve as stay-busy opportunities while Tsarukyan wants to face the winner of the Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje title unification on June 14.

Merab Reacts

“They did offer me Arman Tsarukyan, but that matchup doesn’t make sense. He’s two weight classes bigger than me, and I saw what Arman did against the legend Urijah Faber, and I was disappointed. Arman should not have thrown him out like that. Urijah’s a very good man, great fighter, and I have even more respect for him for how he handled the situation afterwards.

“He was cool and respectful to me, he’s a great fighter and my neighbor from Armenia, born in Georgia…but it wasn’t necessary what he did to Urijah. I was thinking about competing with him before that…we all know he’s a better wrestler and grappler than me. But then my [nose] cut reopened, and I told them ‘No’,” Merab said 

Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.