Did Arman Tsarukyan deserve split nod vs. Charles Oliveira?

Bohn: This was a similar story to the first round in that Oliveira had the biggest moment of the round with his D’Arce choke attempt that forced Tsarukyan to flattened himself out on the stomach in order to alleviate some of the pressure. The optics of the defense where he essentially made himself go limp aren’t great, but the jiu-jitsu aficionados know what he was doing and how it actually wasn’t THAT dangerous a submission attempt, which is why Oliveira was sticking out his tongue and making faces to try to play up the moment to judges and crowd. Outside of that, though, it was mostly Tsarukyan’s round. He outlanded Oliveira 18-to-5 in significant strikes, again landed the only takedown, and had more than double the control time. Oliveira just wasn’t effective enough to take the round.

Bohn’s score: 10-9 Tsarukyan

Samano: After what I would describe as inconsequential striking sequences, this round got interesting when Tsarukyan shot in and hit a double-leg takedown with about 2:40 left. Oliveira again, though, found a way to immediately mitigate damage by trapping Tsarukyan’s neck. It wasn’t until the 1:50 mark that Oliveira eventually let go of the neck, which allowed Tsarukyan into side control and eventually take his back – but aside from some knees to the body from behind, it was mostly just control time. Then things got REALLY interesting with about 50 seconds left. That’s when Oliveira shucked Tsarukyan off his back and immediately threatened a submission with a D’arce choke – and it was TIGHT. There was even a moment when it looked like Tsarukyan’s body went limp. He survived, though, and made it to the final bell, but that final sequence was enough for Oliveira to steal the round for me.

Samano’s score: 10-9 Oliveira

Wells: I like Tsarukyan’s striking in the exchanges that took place on the feet in the first minute. Working behind a left jab, he landed a nice right hand into a body kick combo. He then initiated a clinch, and added a solid short elbow on the exit. After another combination, Tsarukyan shot in again, but was denied. Tsarukyan continued to pop the left jab and then got the fight to the mat midway through the round. Oliveira held on to a guillotine, but Tsarukyan was in side control, so it wasn’t really there. In fact, Tsarukyan gripped his hands together for what could have been a Von Flue, but didn’t really go for it either. After trapping Oliveira’s right arm, Tsarukyan began elbowing which led to a short-lived crucifix position. Tsarukyan then stepped over for a clean back take as Oliveira attempted to turn. A few short knees to the body were landed here as Oliviera turtled while looking for an escape. Tsarukyan left an opening, and Oliveira exploded up to his feet with 48 seconds to go, but didn’t go far as he got back down on a front headlock. Tsarukyan tried to escape from the position, and in the process of turning, Oliveira slapped on a D’Arce choke with about 25 ticks left. Tsarukyan patiently defended and rode the time out. Flattening himself out is a smart defense in this position, but I understand why some don’t like the optics. But when the horn sounded and Oliveira released the hold, Tsarukyan immediately jumped to his feet and scaled the fence to celebrate. It was a solid moment for Oliveira late, but Tsarukyan seemed content with riding out the final seconds, given his actions after the horn.

Wells’ score: 10-9 Tsarukyan