Arman Tsarukyan vs Damir Ismagulov: Preview, Where to watch and Betting odds

Number nine-ranked UFC Lightweight Arman Tsarukyan is looking to bounce back from his loss in June, takes on fellow Russian Damir Ismagulov in the co-main event of UFC Fight Night 216. A win for either of the Russians will catapult the winner into the higher echelons of the ranking and a day against more high-profile opponents, a sentiment that Ismagulov echoed in his media day interview. Arman Tsarukyan has been installed as the clear favorite going into the fight, which will take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, USA. We preview the bout in this article, including the best bets for the lightweight matchup.

Tsarukyan lost to Mateusz Gamrot in a closely contested fight in June at UFC on ESPN 38. Both fighters earned the Fight of the Night award, with the fight the second loss for the Armenian-Russian in the UFC. His other loss was his promotional debut against Islam Makhachev. In-between both losses, the 26-year-old amassed five consecutive wins that shot him into the top ten rankings in the division. After his main event loss to Gamrot, many media outlets reported that they had scored the bout in favor of Tsarukyan. In his debut against Makhachev in 2018, Tsarukyan also put up a spirited showing in a fast-paced fight with high-level wrestling exchanges. He lost via unanimous decision but earned a Fight of the Night bonus.

With a victory over an opponent like Arman, I’ll be able to jump into the top 10, possibly the top five. And from now on, I’ll get opponents that I deserve, opponents that are more interesting to me. So I’m very much happy about this fight.

Damir Ismagulov

• Age: 26;
• Height:5’ 9”;
• Weight: 155 Ib;
• Reach: 72;
• Record: 18-3-0

The former M-1 Global Lightweight champion is undefeated in the UFC and is riding a 19-match winning streak, making his UFC promotional debut in 2018. Ismagulov has won five matches, with four coming via unanimous decision and one via split decision. Speaking through an interpreter to the media, Islagulov bemoaned the fact that he has not fought any notable names in the UFC, adding that he was excited to face Arman Tsarukyan who had lost to Mateusz Gamrot in the main event in June. Looking at his resume, Damir Ismagulov had defeated known names like Thiago Moises and Guram Kutateladze. He has lost only once in his professional career.

This fight, for me, is very important, because now that the UFC is giving me such an opportunity, I can show that this fight could be a trampoline for me to make sure that my career goes forward.

Damir Ismagulov

• Age: 31;
• Height:5’ 10”;
• Weight: 155 Ib;
• Reach: 70;
• Record: 24-1-0

On BetKing, Arman is priced at 1.49 odds for the win. Damir Ismagulov to win goes for 2.57 odds. Bet365 has some decent odds for the rounds betting. With Damir Ismagulov’s history of taking fights to the distance, under 2.5 rounds is priced at 3.25 odds on Bet365 with over 2.5 at 1.33 odds. On 1xbet, a bet that the fight will end in a decision win is priced at 1.38 odds. 1xbet also has a unanimous decision win for 1.83 odds.