Las Vegas – the main event between Matthews Jamrot And Arman Tsarukyan was an impressive five rounds of action, proving exactly why this showdown deserved the best UFC on ESPN 38.
Both lightweight competitors entered the first main event of their careers in the UFC, with both men looking to make a statement on the big stage. When the dust settled after 25 minutes of fast action, the judges were unanimous in their decision, giving Gamrot (21-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) the nod over Tsarukyan (18-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC).
Both fighters sought to establish their game early in the fight. Gamrot tried to get clearance after grabbing one leg and lifting it high, but Tsarukyan somehow managed to stay on his feet. A few moments later, Tsarukyan completed a beautiful takedown, and a few intense stampedes for the position soon followed.
Action remained fast-paced in the second round. After a few opening exchanges, a thunderous kick from Tsarukyan into Gamrot’s body reverberated throughout the UFC Apex. Tsarukyan tried to bring the fight back to Earth but was beautifully reversed by Gamrot. Another powerful kick from Tsarukyan landed on the body, as he seemed to outsmart Gamrot in the first two rounds.
The strong blow of Tsarukyan continued at the beginning of the third round. He opened with another thunderous blow to the body and broke Jamroot with his right hand a few moments later. Gamrot once again grabbed one leg but was unable to bring the fight to the mat.
After a few moments, he was able to grab Tsarukyan and make his way back. Gamrot was unable to secure the situation, but the Tsarukyan acted freely before any serious damage or attempts at submission occurred. They returned to exchanging heavy blows until the round ended.
Gambrot went out shooting in the fourth round and took some big shots early. Spins fist landed from Tsarukyan and sent Gamrot down, but he hastened to recover. Tsarukyan scored another hard kick to the body as Gamrot shot and completed a takedown. Gamrot captured his opponent and chased for surrender, but the fight would go to the last round.
Tsarukyan kicked a beautiful outside kick to knock Jamru off his feet early. Gamrot got back on his feet and kept the pressure high, shooting in a beautiful takedown a moment later. After controlling the Tsarukyan on the mat, they got back to feet and continued to let the blows fly. Gambrot searched for another takedown to end the fight. Tsarukyan was able to reverse the situation in the last seconds and landed a few punches before the final trumpet sounded in this highly entertaining main event.
all three Official judges scored the battle 48-47 For Gamrot, achieving the unanimous decision a victory for the Polish fighter.
During his post-fight interview, Gamrot made it clear who he wanted to confuse with next.
“Now, I want to fight with Justin Gethje,” he said during an interview after the fight with Michael Bisping. “Justin Gethjee is the wildest guy in this department. I want to fight with him by his side.”
With the win, Gamrot makes it fourth in a row after the only setback of his professional career against Guram Kutateladze in 2020. Entering Saturday’s fight with back-to-back stops against Scott Holtzman, Jeremy Stevens, and Diego Ferreira, the Poland-born fighter is now in a fantastic position to take on the level. Next out of the competition in the lightweight division.
Tsarykyan entered 14th place in USA TODAY SPORTS / MMA Junkie Lightweight Rankingswhich likely means that Gamrot will rise from the honorary mentions to the Ranked Fighter in the next ranking update.
On the flip side, Tsarukyan’s first UFC main event marks the second loss of his career with the promotion. He faltered on his UFC debut, dropping a unanimous decision against Islam Makhachev in 2019. Tsarukyan bounced back well as he went on to win five straight times, including straight stops against Christos Giagos and Joel Alvarez in his previous two rounds.
Updated UFC results on ESPN 38 include:
Matthews Jamroth def. Arman Tsarukyan by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
Shaukat Rakhmonov defeated. Neil Magney by submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 4:58
Josh Parisian defeated. Alan Baudot via TKO (Punches) – 2nd round, 3:04
Thiago Moises defeated. Christos Giagos via submission (naked rear throttle) – Round 1, 3:05
Omar Nurmagomedov. Nate Manis by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 20-25)
Chris Curtis dave. Rodolfo Vieira by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Carlos Ulberg def. Tavon Nchokwe via TKO (Punches) – Round 1, 1:15
Shaylan Nordanbeck defeated. TJ Brown by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) defeated Sergey Morozov. Rawlian Paiva by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Cody Durden Dave. JP Buys via TKO (Punches) – Round 1, 1:08
Mario Bautista defeated. Brian Kelleher by submission (naked rear throttle) – 1st round, 2:27
Vanessa Dimopoulos defeated. Gene Yu Fry via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
