Fan apologizes for provoking Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 300, won’t file lawsuit after punch
Arman Tsarukyan and the UFC won’t face any legal action after he appeared to punch a fan during his walkout at UFC 300 in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
The fan in question, Obed Ardon, told Bloody Elbow on Monday that the emotions of the moment simply got to him. He was there with his brother on the floor, and insisted that he wouldn’t file a lawsuit.
“I will not sue, that never crossed my mind,” Ardon said. “My first thought was, ‘I hope I don’t get kicked out.’”
Tsarukyan got very physical with Ardon on his way into the Octagon on Saturday night. After several fans had their hands outstretched in an apparent effort to shake Tsarukyan’s hand, he suddenly bounced back and tried to punch Ardon twice. It’s unclear if Tsarukyan actually made contact with Ardon.
Another angle of Arman Tsarukyan punching a fan on his way to the cage 😳#UFC300#UFC#MMApic.twitter.com/LT9HRF9a5Z
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 14, 2024
Arman Tsarukyan was throwing hands before his fight at #UFC300. pic.twitter.com/VmjXCf1VmK
— TrillerTV (@FiteTV) April 14, 2024
“He showed me that he wanted to f***ing punch me, and I wanted to punch him back, that’s it,” Tsarukyan said after his fight. “No one shows me ‘f*** you’ [like that], it doesn’t matter who you are, I’m going to punch you in the face.
“When you’re 200 meters away, I’m not going to punch you, but when you’re close to me it’s like automatically going to end in someone getting hurt."
Tsarukyan then beat former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira by split decision in what was the biggest win of his career.
Ardon apologized Monday, and said he didn’t do anything other than flip Tsarukyan off in the moment.
“I’d like to apologize to Arman for provoking him by flipping him off,” Ardon said. “I was buzzing all day and the moment got to me. It was my first time attending a live UFC event and it was absolutely incredible. I’m glad the incident wasn’t as bad as it could have been.”
The incident left UFC CEO Dana White thinking he was going to face a lawsuit, though that’s apparently been handled.
The win marked Tsarukyan’s fourth straight victory, and by far his biggest to date. He holds a 22-3 overall record, and he now could be gearing up for a title shot in the near future.
