Arman
Tsarukyan believes he has done everything necessary to earn
another shot at
Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight gold.
Tsarukyan strengthened his case with a first-round knockout of
Mauricio
Ruffy at UFC
331, finishing the Brazilian with a pair of elbows late in the
opening round. While the victory further cemented Tsarukyan’s
position as the No. 1 contender at 155 pounds, he claims the
reigning champion, Justin
Gaethje, is avoiding him.
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Tsarukyan explains why he doubts Gaethje will accept a UFC
lightweight title fight
At the post-fight presser, Tsarukyan revealed that he has little
confidence that a fight against Gaethje will materialize. The
Armenian believes the champ never calling him out or mentioning his
name is a sign that he’s “scared” of the matchup,
stylistically.
“He never says my name, so he’s scared,” Tsarukyan said. “He knows
he wanted Ruffy to knock me out, so it means he’s trying to avoid
me. And he’s gonna try to call out Ilia
Topuria or tell UFC, ‘I want 15 million for Arman Tsarukyan, or
I’m retired,’ and he’s gonna play around on the bullsh*t game.”
Tsarukyan is unbothered by Gaethje’s stance, claiming the American
has limited options.
“But you see, either he’s gonna fight me or he’s got to leave the
title… Give the opportunity for the young guys,” Tsarukyan added.
“We have a lot of contenders right now. I don’t care, to be honest.
I just want to fight for the title and become champion, no matter
who’s gonna be against me.”
Tsarukyan was first awarded a title shot at the beginning of 2025
against then-lightweight champ Islam
Makhachev, but withdrew from the bout just hours before the
weigh-ins, drawing the ire of the promotion. He has since recorded
two finishes and his star power has grown considerably, bolstering
his case for a title shot.