Arman Tsarukyan Reveals An Unsettling Pre-Fight Dream Before UFC 331 Knockout

Arman Tsarukyan has opened up about a disturbing dream in the days leading up to UFC 331. The Armenian lightweight contender delivered a first-round knockout of Mauricio Ruffy in Los Angeles. In a recent stream with Nina Drama, he opened up about experiencing these dreams. After the co-main event victory, he stated that the dream was so intense it kept him awake and forced him to mentally reset before fight week.  

Arman Tsarukyan's nightmare to statement win 

Arman Tsarukyan recently opened up on experiencing these dreams; he lay in bed with a terrible dream at 4:00 a.m. He admitted that after experiencing these dreams, he told himself he was safe and shifted his focus back to the task at hand.

“Someone is robbing me, and they put a gun in my face. And I thought, like, ‘I'm going to die, and I have a fight tomorrow.' I said, ‘No way. No way I'm going to die like that.' And the guy was super drunk. His eyes were so red, and I was so scared.”

Arman Tsarukyan says he didn't sleep before his fight because he had a nightmare someone tried to rob and kill him ???? “I thought I was gonna die. I have a fight tomorrow, no way… I was so scared.” https://t.co/I0V7dArbm9

— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) September 20, 2026

After the bout, Tsarukyan made his intentions clear; he needed a finish to cement his rank as the next man in line for the lightweight title. The ‘Batman' win at UFC 331 puts him back in prime position for a title shot after he had to withdraw from a scheduled championship bout with Islam Makhachev in January 2025 due to injury. With Justin Gaethje now the lightweight champion following his victory over Ilia Topuria, the division's next big matchup is emerging. 

The Armenian has already made it known that he sees himself as the No. 1 contender. In pre-fight media appearances, he spoke about treating the Ruffy fight like a title eliminator and suggested that a loss would have likely ended his championship hopes. 

He stated, “Every fight for me is important… if I'm going to lose this fight, I'm never going to see a title fight." 

Arman Tsarukyan Knocks Out Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331

The pre-fight dream episode offers a rare look into the mental side of Tsarukyan's preparation. Despite his calm demeanor in interviews, he admitted the nightmare startled him enough to question his surroundings before regaining composure. 

However, Arman Tsarukyan delivered a statement performance at UFC 331, defending himself against Mauricio Ruffy via KO in the final seconds of the first round to cement his place as the top lightweight contender.