Arman Tsarukyan says he’s been assured of a title fight his next time out.
Last year, Tsarukyan was supposed to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title at UFC 311, but he was pulled from the event just the day before due to health issues. Since then, Tsarukyan has tried to work his way back to a title shot, most recently knocking out Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 in September.
That win seemed to solidify Tsarukyan as the next lightweight challenger, but there are now questions, because lightweight champion Justin Gaethje is considering retirement, and there have also been rumors of an immediate rematch between Gaethje and Ilia Topuria, which would leave Tsarukyan out in the cold. But speaking with MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck before his matchup with Dillon Danis at RAF 14, Tsarukyan says he’s been assured that his next fight is for the lightweight title.
“If they wouldn’t give me a title at 155, I would go down [to 145 pounds], but as I heard, I’m going to fight for the title next,” Tsarukyan said. “So I’m going to be in my division and stay there. I don’t want to move anywhere, because I feel like lightweight is the perfect weight class for me. I want to be the best ever lightweight fighter, and break all records there. …
“And we have so many big names, and we have a lot of contenders, so it’s going to be fun.”
Tsarukyan added that he’s been told the fight will take place at the “beginning of next year,” though he was not given anything more specific than that.
“Batman” is currently riding a six-fight winning streak in the UFC, and has become one of the most popular fighters in the UFC through his activity outside the promotion, competing frequently for Real American Freestyle, and also embracing life as a streamer. But for Tsarukyan, the focus has always been on building a legacy in the UFC, so once he wins the belt, he hopes to be more active in the octagon than outside of it.
“It’s gonna mean a lot for me,” Tsarukyan said. “Right now I’m thinking that this is everything that I want right now. But I know when I get that belt, I want to defend as much as possible. So when I get the belt, first day I’m gonna be so happy, but second day is going to the same, and I want to fight as much as possible.”