Arman Tsarukyan Stops Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331
Arman Tsarukyan knocked out Mauricio Ruffy with elbows at 4:56 of the first round at UFC 331 on September 19, 2026. The lightweight bout ended seconds before the opening round expired at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Elbows produced the finish
Tsarukyan brought the fight to a close with standing elbows in a fence clinch, with UFC recording the decisive blows as elbows. The official time was 4:56, leaving only four seconds in the first round when the referee stopped the contest.
Ruffy was unable to recover and the matchup did not reach the later rounds or the judges. The result gave Tsarukyan a clear knockout victory, rather than a technical decision or submission.
A major result on the UFC 331 card
The event also featured Joshua Van’s flyweight title defense against Alexandre Pantoja. Tsarukyan’s finish was one of the main card’s standout results, alongside other quick stoppages later that night.
UFC’s official event report confirms the participants, method and time. Those details support the fight recap; they do not by themselves establish who Tsarukyan would face next or whether a title bout would follow.
The main event saw Van retain the flyweight title against Pantoja by unanimous decision. Tsarukyan’s bout was a separate lightweight contest and ended seconds before round one expired. UFC’s results list the method, time and title status for both fights.
