UFC: It's Time Arman Tsarukyan Gets Lightweight Title Shot

Arman Tsarukyan Beat Mauricio Ruffy At His Own Game

Perhaps the most impressive thing about Tsarukyan’s win over Ruffy is that he beat the Brazilian at his own game.

Ruffy is known for his flashy, elite striking skills, but in this fight, it was Tsarukyan who showed off his striking when he landed a clubbing elbow and punches that felled the dangerous Brazilian with just four seconds left in the first round of the fight.

Had Tsarukyan wrestled his way to a win or even submitted Ruffy, it might not have been as impressive as fans would have liked.

But the fact he went out there and KO’d Ruffy cold showed that Tsarukyan has reached the next level of his MMA career and proved that he’s ready for a title shot at 155 lbs.

In January 2025 at UFC 311, Tsarukyan was supposed to fight former UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev for the belt, but he pulled out the day before the weigh-ins with a back injury.

That put him in the bad books with UFC president Dana White and Co., but in the nearly two years since that incident, Tsarukyan has done everything that he can to put himself back in White’s good graces.

Now, there are simply no more excuses that the UFC can make, as it’s time that Tsarukyan fights for the UFC lightweight title that Gaethje currently holds.

Step Aside, Ilia Topuria: Arman Tsarukyan Is Next

The UFC has several potential options at 155 lbs when it comes to who could be next in line for the belt.

There have been talks about an immediate rematch between Gaethje and former champion Ilia Topuria, but I would argue that Topuria doesn’t deserve a title fight so soon after getting stopped by Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 in June.

In my opinion, you need to win another fight after you get stopped unless you are a long-reigning and defending champion, something that Topuria wasn’t.

The other option is Paddy Pimblett, but Gaethje also beat him earlier this year at UFC 324.

That’s why Tsarukyan makes the most sense, as it’s a brand-new fight for Gaethje, and one that the fans desperately want to see.

A rematch for Topuria and/or Pimblett can wait, and in the meantime, those two can fight each other to determine who should be next in line after Tsarukyan.

But right now, Tsarukyan is, without a shadow of a doubt, the No. 1 contender in the UFC lightweight division, and if he’s not the next man in line for Gaethje, then there is something seriously wrong with this sport.

Enough with the excuses, UFC.

It’s time to man up and give Tsarukyan the title shot that he has earned and that he deserves, and let’s try to get him and Gaethje matched up for a massive UFC lightweight title fight in the first quarter of 2027.