A heated exchange at a UFC press conference has sparked conversations about respect and professionalism in mixed martial arts. Lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan confronted a reporter who posed an inappropriate question about fellow competitor Kayla Harrison.
The incident unfolded during a fan Q&A session before the UFC 299 weigh-ins, where Harrison shared the stage with Tsarukyan and Alex Pereira. A fan approached Tsarukyan and asked him in Russian how many times he would “hook up” with the two-time Olympic judoka, creating an uncomfortable moment that would later generate significant controversy.
Tsarukyan initially responded to the question, but soon realized the inappropriate nature of what had been asked. In a recent interview, the Armenian revealed that he directly confronted the individual afterward, demanding an apology to Harrison.
“After that situation, when he asked that question, I told him later, I said, when we were there, I said, come on, this girl is here, apologize to her, it’s ugly,” Tsarukyan explained. However, the reporter remained defiant, claiming he had actually helped generate publicity for Harrison rather than showing disrespect.
Tsarukyan expressed his frustration with the individual’s attitude, stating: “I understood that this person, well, there’s no point for me to talk to him, to communicate with him. He’s a different person, I’m a different person. If I did something wrong, made some mistake, I would approach, apologize, and say it.”
The lightweight contender admitted he regretted his initial response to the question, acknowledging it had somewhat damaged his reputation. He revealed his thought process during that moment, explaining he had debated whether to respond at all, ultimately deciding to give what he considered a complimentary answer rather than risk offending Harrison by dismissing the question entirely.
“At that moment, when they ask you, you’re confused thinking. I had a question in my head, to say yes or no. I thought, if I don’t say how many, maybe the girl will be offended,” Tsarukyan reflected. “I thought I’d say at least a couple, as a kind of compliment. I didn’t think it would blow up so much.”
Looking back, Tsarukyan acknowledged he should have handled the situation differently from the start: “Actually, of course, I should have just said intelligently to go somewhere far away with his question, ask someone else.”
Harrison later addressed the incident on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, expressing her disappointment with the disrespectful treatment. She described how she initially laughed along, unaware of what was being asked in Russian, until host Megan Olivi requested a translation and Tsarukyan declined, calling it a “stupid question.”
“At one point there was a fan who came up and spoke to Arman in Russian. Arman was getting booed the whole time, and we’ve talked about it and we’re fine. The guy asked him basically how many times would… he asked a really inappropriate question about me. Arman answered it, and I looked like an idiot. I’m up on stage laughing and Megan Olivi says ‘Would you care to translate it?’ and Arman was like ‘No, it was a stupid question, move on’,” Harrison recounted.
The Olympic champion emphasized the double standard in how male and female athletes are treated, pointing out that similar sexualized questions would never be directed at male competitors.
“More than that, you would never hear a female get asked ‘How many times you have sex with Alex Pereira?’ We don’t sexualize men like that. So it was disheartening,” she stated.
Harrison highlighted her extensive accomplishments and advocacy work, noting: “It’s disheartening. I think, it’s disrespectful. I’m a two-time Olympic champion, a world champion, I’m a mother, I’m an advocate for survivors of sexual abuse, I wrote a book, and I have a foundation. In that sense, it’s disrespectful that someone would even ask that question.”
