{"id":40630,"date":"2026-09-21T02:57:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-21T02:57:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/news\/news\/Arman-Tsarukyan-Justin-Gaethje-must-fight-me-or-leave-the-title-202883"},"modified":"2026-09-21T02:57:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T02:57:10","slug":"arman-tsarukyan-justin-gaethje-must-fight-me-or-leave-the-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.martialartskleinanzeigen.com\/videos\/arman-tsarukyan-justin-gaethje-must-fight-me-or-leave-the-title\/","title":{"rendered":"Arman Tsarukyan: Justin Gaethje must fight me or \u2018leave the title\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Arman
\nTsarukyan<\/a> believes he has done everything necessary to earn
\nanother shot at
\nUltimate Fighting Championship<\/a> lightweight gold.<\/p>\n

Tsarukyan strengthened his case with a first-round knockout of
\nMauricio
\nRuffy<\/a> at UFC
\n331<\/a>, finishing the Brazilian with a pair of elbows late in the
\nopening round. While the victory further cemented Tsarukyan\u2019s
\nposition as the No. 1 contender at 155 pounds, he claims the
\nreigning champion, Justin
\nGaethje<\/a>, is avoiding him.<\/p>\n

\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tsarukyan explains why he doubts Gaethje will accept a UFC
\nlightweight title fight<\/h2>\n

At the post-fight presser, Tsarukyan revealed that he has little
\nconfidence that a fight against Gaethje will materialize. The
\nArmenian believes the champ never calling him out or mentioning his
\nname is a sign that he\u2019s \u201cscared\u201d of the matchup,
\nstylistically.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe never says my name, so he\u2019s scared,\u201d Tsarukyan said. \u201cHe knows
\nhe wanted Ruffy to knock me out, so it means he\u2019s trying to avoid
\nme. And he\u2019s gonna try to call out Ilia
\nTopuria<\/a> or tell UFC, \u2018I want 15 million for Arman Tsarukyan, or
\nI\u2019m retired,\u2019 and he\u2019s gonna play around on the bullsh*t game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tsarukyan is unbothered by Gaethje\u2019s stance, claiming the American
\nhas limited options.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you see, either he\u2019s gonna fight me or he\u2019s got to leave the
\ntitle\u2026 Give the opportunity for the young guys,\u201d Tsarukyan added.
\n\u201cWe have a lot of contenders right now. I don\u2019t care, to be honest.
\nI just want to fight for the title and become champion, no matter
\nwho\u2019s gonna be against me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tsarukyan was first awarded a title shot at the beginning of 2025
\nagainst then-lightweight champ Islam
\nMakhachev<\/a>, but withdrew from the bout just hours before the
\nweigh-ins, drawing the ire of the promotion. He has since recorded
\ntwo finishes and his star power has grown considerably, bolstering
\nhis case for a title shot.<\/p>\n