Arman Tsarukyan says he is guaranteed to challenge for the title in his next outing.
Last year, Tsarukyan was supposed to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title at UFC 311, but he was pulled from the event the day before due to health concerns. Since then, Tsarukyan has attempted to return to a title shot, most recently knocking out Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 in September.
This victory seemed to solidify Tsarukyan as the next lightweight challenger, but questions now arise as lightweight champion Justin Gaethje plans to retire, 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 ahead of his clash with Dillon Danis at RAF 14, Tsarukyan said he was assured his next fight would be for the lightweight title.
“If they didn’t give me a title at 155 pounds, 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 lightweight fighter of all time and break all the records there. …
“And we have so many big names and a lot of contenders, so it’s going to be fun.”
Tsarukyan added that he was told the fight would take place “early next year,” although he was not given anything more specific.
“Batman” is currently riding a six-fight winning streak in the UFC and has become one of the most popular fighters in the UFC thanks to his activity outside of the promotion, frequently competing for Real American Freestyle and also embracing the life of a streamer. But for Tsarukyan, the focus has always been on building a legacy within the UFC, so once he wins the belt, he hopes to be more active in the octagon than outside.
“It’s going to mean a lot to me,” Tsarukyan said. “Right now, I think that’s all I want right now. But I know when I get this belt, I want to defend as much as possible. So when I get the belt, the first day I’ll be so happy, but the second day will be the same, and I want to fight as much as possible.”
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