Merab Dvalishvili refuses to wrestle Arman Tsarukyan after viral Urijah Faber mat fall

Former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili was ‘disappointed’ with Arman Tsarukyan’s tactics against Urijah Faber on the RAF mats.

Top UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan remains unbooked for his next appearance in the Octagon as he potentially awaits the Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje title fight winner. Topuria and Gaethje headline a stacked card at UFC Freedom 250 on the White House lawn, an event which Tsarukyan allegedly nearly partook in.

In the meantime, Tsarukyan is keeping busy away from the Octagon. In addition to his various appearances on podcasts and in content creation, Tsarukyan has competed several times in Real American Freestyle, an upstart wrestling promotion.

Tsarukyan and UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber competed at RAF 09 earlier this month, and the match ended after the two fell off the mats, and Tsarukyan was awarded a victory by technical fall. The UFC star later admitted he forced Faber off the mats on purpose after some pre-match trash talk.

After watching Tsarukyan’s actions, former UFC bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili refuses to grapple with the top lightweight for what he perceives as dirty tactics.

Merab Dvalishvili explains why he refuses to wrestle with Arman Tsarukyan after viral clip

In a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Dvalishvili was asked about potentially wrestling against Tsarukyan in RAF.

Arman Tsarukyan secured a technical fall victory over Urijah Faber in the RAF08 main event, in a bout marked by both dominance and a dramatic moment.

The Armenian lightweight, fresh off his UFC win over Dan Hooker in Qatar, has been active in grappling, with RAF Wrestling… pic.twitter.com/AogujRT6KK

— 301🇦🇲 (@301arm) April 19, 2026

“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,” Dvalishvili said of Tsarukyan.

“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,” Dvalishvili continued on Tsarukyan. “But then my [nose] cut reopened, and I told them ‘No’.”

Dvalishvili hasn’t fought since a loss to Petr Yan at UFC 323 in December, as his UFC bantamweight title reign came to a shocking end. As he continues to recover from a nose injury, Dvalishvili is expected to return to the Octagon later this year, potentially in a trilogy bout with Yan.

Who wins in a potential Merab Dvalishvili vs. Arman Tsarukyan wrestling match? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!