Pat Downey says Arman Tsarukyan has earned bargaining power since his last UFC fight.
Downey is disappointed not to be facing an MMA star when he returns at RAF 10 this Saturday in St. Louis, Missouri.
Despite this, he’s excited to be sharing the card with two of the biggest names on the UFC roster, who he knows very well having been a part of the same team.
With Tsarukyan set to compete twice in a week next month, his return on June 13 is just another way for him to continue the remarkable momentum that he’s built up away from the Octagon.
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Pat Downey says Arman Tsarukyan ‘no longer operating from a position of weakness’ with the UFC
In a recent interview with Bloody Elbow, Pat Downey said that RAF CEO Chad Bronstein didn’t even know who Arman Tsarukyan was when he first sent him his name.
Downey now credits Tsarukyan with being the face of the wrestling promotion, having already competed five times for them this year.
The teammate of the UFC lightweight contender believes that the work Tsarukyan has put in to significantly increase his profile now puts him in a much stronger position in his MMA career.
“The guy was getting black balled, getting the short end of the stick from the UFC… Now he’s at a point where he’s no longer operating from a position of weakness where he’s asking and begging to fight,” Downey said. “Now, he’s totally flipped the script.
“The UFC is going to be like, ‘Hey, please Arman. Can you stop a side quest to come fight for us? Please. We know you’re making more money without us now.’ So, he’s brilliant for that.”
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Tsarukyan will be facing Tony Ferguson at RAF 10, which takes place the day before the UFC lightweight title unification clash at the White House.
The 29-year-old is going to have a close eye on that fight, given that many believe it should be him competing at Freedom 250.
Tsarukyan recently placed $1 million on Justin Gaethje to beat Ilia Topuria and produce a stunning upset.
However, there are questions over how legitimate this is due to UFC fighters not being able to bet on fights that the promotion puts on.