Joel Alvarez suffered a barrage of blows at yesterday’s UFC Vegas 49, including one brutal elbow that left his face covered in blood.
The force from the strike caused so much damage the referee had to step in and stop the fight, declaring Arman Tsarukyan the winner by TKO.
Alvarez’s nose started to bleed in the first round after Tsarukyan struck him with his elbow, with the 28-year-old needing some patch-up work between rounds.
READ MORE: Former Supercars champ Scott McLaughlin wins maiden IndyCar race
READ MORE: ‘Woeful’ loss leaves Penrith scratching heads on eve of NRL season
READ MORE: FIFA refuses to ban Russia from World Cup qualification
With Tsarukyan continuing to target Alvarez’s nose, he soon landed the blow that triggered a bloodbath, resulting in his fifth straight win.
“I like to surprise every one of my opponents,” Tsarukyan told reporters.
“I wanted to show how I improve my striking, wrestling, I can do everything. It was my game plan to make him tired, to choke him or a TKO. I did it and I’m very happy. I think I deserve a top-10 [ranking] and get fights with a top fighter. I’m getting better every day.”
https://twitter.com/DamonMartin/status/1497736650067259397?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfwhttps://twitter.com/dannyseguratv/status/1497736541900259338?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfwhttps://twitter.com/niallmcgrath4/status/1497736062885580800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Tsarukyan will now look to redeem himself in a potential rematch with Islam Makhachev. The lightweight was defeated by Makhachev in 2019 in what is his only loss in UFC.
“It’s going to be the greatest match because we are the best in our division,” Tsarukyan said.
For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by clicking here!