In 1990, he won the Junior World Wrestling Championship gold medal at the age of 18.

In 1994, Armen won a gold medal at the European Wrestling Championships in Rome.

Because Mkrtchyan had ranked in the top six wrestlers of his division, he received automatic qualification to return to Atlanta in a year's time to compete at the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Mkrtchyan and Kim both put up a bitter struggle in a back and forth match.

After winning a bronze medal at the 2001 European Wrestling Championships, Mkrtchyan retired.