Mar 29, 2026
3 min read
After their bout at RAF 6 last month ended in a wild brawl, Poullas insists he's ready for anything in Saturday's bout against top UFC contender Tsarukyan.
"I won't be surprised if there is another fight": Georgio Poullas ready to "pan" Arman Tsarukyan in RAF 7
Whatever happens this time, Georgio Poullas will not be surprised.It doesn't matter if Arman Tsarukyan takes one more swing at him on the wrestling mat.It doesn't matter if their rematch at RAF 7 turns into a full-on brawl this Saturday.
After his last experience on the mat with the UFC lightweight, Paulus insisted that he was beyond any measure of surprise when it came to Tsarukyan's behavior during or after the actual bout.
"I can tell you, I'll be ready, whatever happens," Paulus told Uncrowned."It was a cowardly move, what [Sarukian] did. He waited until I wasn't looking. I mean, if you're going to hit me, hit me if I see you. Don't be a coward."
If you're a small segment of the population who somehow missed the viral video of their first meeting at RAF 6, here's a brief summary of how it happened:
• Tsarukian took a foul from Follas with his club hands to the head early in the bout and responded with a clear open hand slap that cost him a point.
• Plath persisted and was ultimately penalized with a point himself.
• The order threatens to dissolve completely.Tsarukyan hit Poullas between rounds.The RAF officers had to walk on the mats and try to calm everyone down.
• Tsarukyan won narrowly by a score of (5-3).Then the real fun began.
Part of the footage that has been circulating online shows Tsarukyan pushing Poullas onto his back after the fight is apparently over, then climbing on top of Poullas and punching him in the head before outside forces intervene.Carukyan also attempted to knee Poullas as his body fell to the mat, but by then the confusion prevented any effective targeted violence.
If you go back and watch the RAF broadcast on FOX Nation, you will hear on-screen comments expressing regret and disapproval.Won't someone think about the children watching us and the example we set?Something like that.But honestly?The timing was perfect for the era of viral videos.It takes a lot for a clip from a wrestling event to break through security and make its way into the open waters of social media.But a fight after the game will be enough.And when it comes to a notorious UFC title challenger, even better.
Much of the initial reaction focused on this part, Tsarukyan himself, and the question of what exactly his problem might be.This is the same guy who stopped walking to the cage at UFC 300 to attack a fan who waved his way.He recently headbutted an opponent and appeared to hurt him during the weigh-ins the day before the fight.Time. Now it seems like he can't even get through a wrestling match without behaving badly in a memorable way.
Of course, Poullas has his own theories about what got Tsarukyan into their game.
"I think if he gets a tough opponent that frustrates him, he'll take action," Poullas said."He clearly has no respect for his opponents. I think when he gets challenged or fails, he doesn't know how to handle it."
But especially for people like Poullas, it's not all bad news.He is someone who knows little about self-promotion through viral videos.If you've heard from anyone before, it's not a middle college wrestler at Cleveland State or Rider University.Maybe it's a social media guy promising $1,000 to anyone who can take him down on the street.
"Take me down, get $1,000" is exactly the kind of gimmick Instagram and TikTok are made for, so it works well as an attention grabbing routine.(Paulus claims he's never been knocked down in these impromptu challenge matches, though opinions differ.) Even now, if you type his name into Google, you'll recognize Paulus as a great wrestler rather than a "social media influencer."can see less chance of
It's a position Poullas doesn't mind, in part because it arose out of necessity.
"It doesn't bother me. I mean, I'm an activist and I'm a boxer, but why do people know me? Because of social media, because I put my wrestling videos on there," Polas said."The reason I did what I did was because there were no wrestlers on social media. No one was doing what I was doing. There was no money to be made in the sport. I enjoyed wrestling. I wanted to grow the sport. So it's a win for me. Make money and wrestle. "Promote the game and have fun doing everything for me."
You can see that a guy with that approach wouldn't want a viral moment on the wrestling mat in front of a top UFC contender.In the internet's attention economy, the Tsarukyan is better fought than beaten.Poullas' only regret is that Tsarukyan got his shots and then disappeared into a pile of bodies on the mat before Poullas had a chance to pay.
"Anything that happens like that, a fight with two high-level guys, it's bound to go viral," Poullas said."I'm not upset that it happened. It brought a lot of attention to the sport and I think it did great things for the sport. In the heat of the moment, yes, I wanted to fight the guy. I was looking for him, but there were so many people there then so quickly I didn't get a chance to throw a punch back. But I think it was for the sport and just the virality."
On Saturday, exactly a month after the first meeting, Polas got a chance for a rematch.And this successfully kept his name in the headlines.It may also have helped open the door to some MMA opportunities – Paulus told Uncrowned he has agreed to an MMA fight deal, but said he can't discuss specifics yet – now that even more fans around the fight world know his name.
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Now comes the part where he has to deal with an angry warrior known for his ruthlessness even if it costs him.You never know what you'll get at Tsarukyan or when you'll get it.He has proven unwilling to stray outside the rules or beyond competitive boundaries.Now he is more inclined to do so.
"I would not be surprised if there is another fight," said Pulas."I'm ready."
If that's the case, Paulas added, "I'd love the chance to punch this guy in the face."
