- Arman Tsarukyan punches a fan on his way to face Charles Oliveira at UFC 300
- The Nevada State Athletic Commission has withheld part of his fight pay
- Tsaukyan said: ‘I am from Russia. Do not do that please. I will go to prison in the United States.
Arman Tsarukyan lost £28,400 for punching a fan on the way to the octagon for his fight with Charles Oliveira at UFC 300.
The Russian, who defeated his Brazilian opponent to advance to the title race, made headlines for all the wrong reasons after the big fight in Las Vegas.
He was filmed on the way to the cage when one of the crowd yelled something at him from very close by.
Tsarukyan reacted instantly and tried to hit the spectator, throwing a right hand over the barrier before continuing towards the cage.
Now the Nevada State Athletic Commission has withheld 20 per cent of his £126,000 winnings from the fight.
Arman Tsarukyan punches a fan on the way to his fight at UFC 300 in Las Vegas
Tsarukyan says that if a fan offends him so close, he will beat him without remorse
There will be a disciplinary hearing in May so the amount could still change, but the commission noted that the fan in question did not want to press charges.
After the incident, Tsarukyan was asked about it and he was unrepentant and redoubled his actions.
He said: ‘He showed me ‘fuck you’ and he wanted to punch me and I wanted to punch him back. That’s all. So guys, don’t anyone show me “fuck you.”
‘It doesn’t matter who you are, I’ll punch you in the face. You can show me “fuck” from about 200 yards away, I’m not going to hit you. But when you’re around me, I’m automatically from Russia. Don’t do that, please, or I’ll go to prison in the United States.’
Tsarukyan could receive additional punishment in the form of a fine when the NSAC reviews more footage and makes its judgments at the next meeting.
When Dana White was asked about it, he said that the fan should not be surprised by the fighter’s reaction.
Tsarukyan achieved a victory over Charles Oliveira on the historic card
He said, “You might not want to keep the thing and grab people as they leave.”
‘These guys are all fucking excited and everything. They will probably sue us, we will solve that on Monday too.”
Tsarukyan wasn’t the only fighter keeping the NSAC busy after UFC 300.
Diego Lopes also had £4,000 withheld from his purse after jumping the cage after the win, something competitors are prohibited from doing.
