UFC on ESPN 46 winner Armen Petrosyan: Nobody in the top 15 'possesses too much of a challenge for me'

LAS VEGAS – Armen Petrosyan is ready to take on a ranked middleweight after UFC on ESPN 46.

Petrosyan (8-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) defeated Christian Leroy Duncan by unanimous decision this past Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Since joining the UFC roster, Petrosyan is yet to finish a fight, but not without a lack of trying.

“To be honest I was planning to finish him, I thought I was going to do that,” Petrosyan told reporters, including MMA Junkie, through an interpreter post-fight at UFC on ESPN 46. “I almost did it, I almost got him out of there, but the reason why I didn’t is because of how tough he was. He’s very unorthodox, he’s very hard to figure out, and I think that because of that, he’s got a really big future ahead of him.”

The rising contender hopes to return in fall, and is eyeing a top 15 middleweight next for the UFC 294 card on Oct. 22 in Abu Dhabi.

“I would love to fight in Abu Dhabi in October,” Petrosyan said. “I’m going to be in great shape by then. It’s just that this camp ended up being quite long because the opponent switched, so it was hard by the end to keep getting prepared and keep on staying in shape. But other than that, Abu Dhabi in October, I would love to fight with anybody in the top 15.”

Petrosyan didn’t have a name in mind, but is confident that he can beat anyone in the division – including former title challengers Jared Cannonier and Marvin Vettori who headlined UFC on ESPN 46.

“Anybody in the top 15,” Petrosyan added. “I don’t see any kind of obstacles for me, I think I can pick any of those guys apart. Even everybody who is in the top 15 right now I don’t think possesses too much of a challenge for me.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 46.