“My attitude towards Russia does not change, this is my home” – UFC fighter Tsarukyan

Fighter Arman Tsarukyan who competes in the UFC as a lightweight, explained in an interview with why he did not raise the Russian flag after beating Beneil Dariush at a tournament in Austin on December 2.

Tsarukyan, 27, was born in the Georgian village of Akhalkalaki, but at a young age he and his family moved to Khabarovsk, where the athlete’s father worked for a long time. In the UFC, Tsarukyan, despite his Russian passport, was registered as a representative of Armenia, but the lightweight participated in fights under two flags, carrying the Russian tricolor along with the Armenian one.

On December 2, Tsarukyan knocked out the American Dariush in the second minute, after which he rose to fourth place in the UFC lightweight rankings.

— You had two flags: Russia and Armenia. After the fight on December 2, you only had the Armenian flag, but if I understand correctly, one of your fans gave it to you.

— I left for America when people still seemed to say that it was impossible to go out with flags, but then it turned out that it was possible. Therefore, initially I did not have the idea of ​​​​removing the flag and I did not have any flag with me. After the battle, they gave me the flag of Armenia and I took it from the people.

But if there was a Russian flag, I would also raise it, because for me it means nothing less than the flag of Armenia. They both mean a lot to me: I grew up in Russia and became an experienced fighter. And the Armenian flag is my homeland. If the audience in the room had a Russian flag, I would have raised it too. My attitude towards Russia does not change, it is my home,” Tsarukyan told .

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