During a sit-down on the PBD Podcast, UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan made no effort to soften his views on Russia versus the United States. When asked what makes Russia special to him, he made direct comparisons on safety, cleanliness, and how the government treats its athletes.
The conversation shifted when the host asked Arman what Russia means to him, and his answer was direct. “Russia is good. It’s clean. It’s safe. Yeah, if you compare it to US, it’s safer and cleaner,” he said.
He then explained why he feels that way, pointing to the consequences for cri me and the general sense of order. “You can walk anywhere, any watches, nobody can come and trying to grab you,” he said. “Because people are scared to do something. Because they go to jail right away. They’re not going to sue with you or do something. If you steal, you go to jail. And they clean the mafia, everything. Now it’s a safe country.”
Arman contrasted this directly with his experience in the United States, particularly Los Angeles. “Like for example here or LA,” he said. “You cannot go somewhere with your watches or with your cars. You cannot get in some certain places. But in Russia, you can go anywhere, any places, and it never happened.”
He attributed that difference to enforcement and the removal of criminal networks. “They clean the bad people too. So they’re in the jail,” he said. “So all mafia in the jails now or like they’re abroad from Russia. That’s why I never think like about bodyguard in Russia or like, oh, my family cannot go outside or something. But here, every celebrity has bodyguards. Every athlete who has a big name, they have bodyguards.”
Arman also pointed to how people interact with public figures in Russia, describing what he sees as a culture of restraint and respect. “People there respect you so much,” he said. “Especially if you’re a athlete, they don’t even come and like try to ask you about something, get the picture. They just respect your time.”
His strongest praise came when discussing what Russia does for wrestlers, figh ters, and Olympic medalists, particularly in terms of financial support. “Here, government, they don’t pay money to you,” he said. “But in Russia, we get paid. If you’re a Russian champion, you get paid money. If you win once in your life, Olympic medal, you’re getting paid all your life.”
He then gave a specific example of the type of lifelong support athletes can receive. “Like $1,000 for the rest of your life,” he said. “But can you imagine if you win three times? You’re getting paid three or $4,000 every month for the rest of your life.”
At that point, the host checked the figures in real time and read the findings aloud, outlining the scale of incentives provided to medalists. “For recent Beijing, Russia paid roughly $50,000 to $60,000 for gold, $30,000 to $35,000 for silver, $20,000 to $25,000 for bronze,” he said.
“Russia often goes above and beyond cash. Luxury cars, apartments worth half a million to a million. Regional bonuses from local governments, extra payouts from sports federations. Total rewards can be hundreds of thousands of dollars to a million plus.”
Arman confirmed that assessment and expanded on the broader system of support available to athletes from a young age. “They take care of them so much,” he said. “If you’re a wrestler, you go to school, you don’t pay money for the sport. Every area has its own school. The government pays for it so kids can train for free.”
He also added that President Vladimir Putin personally helped Khabib Nurmagomedov build his gym as a gold-level reward, and that athletes who earn top honors can apply for government funding to open their own training facilities.
