Currently, Arman Tsarukyan finds himself in a challenging position within the UFC lightweight title scene.
Three months prior, Tsarukyan was set to face Islam Makhachev for the lightweight championship, a chance to avenge a previous defeat. However, a last-minute back injury forced him to withdraw, and a rescheduled fight has not been confirmed.
Tsarukyan is willing to fight any opponent to earn another title shot, but no fight has been arranged yet. He thinks the division`s movement hinges on Makhachev`s next move.
Speaking on the JAXXON podcast about why fighters are avoiding him, Tsarukyan stated, “Because it’s a dangerous fight and I don’t have a title. Fighters like Charles Oliveira and Ilia Topuria are aiming for the title. Once the title fight is set, I`ll get my fight.”
The top lightweight contenders may need to wait until after UFC 315 to learn about their next fights.
UFC 315 on May 10 features Belal Muhammad defending his welterweight title against Jack Della Maddalena. Muhammad`s training partnership with Makhachev has kept Makhachev from moving up to welterweight. If Della Maddalena wins, Makhachev might challenge him instead.
If Makhachev moves to welterweight, the lightweight title could become vacant or interim, and Tsarukyan anticipates being in the mix for it.
Tsarukyan added, “If Islam moves to 170 pounds, they`ll have to give me an interim title fight against someone.”
Tsarukyan wouldn`t be surprised if Ilia Topuria, the former featherweight champion moving to lightweight, gets a title shot against Makhachev. If Muhammad wins and Makhachev remains at lightweight, the UFC might set up a Makhachev-Topuria fight.
Tsarukyan anticipates this scenario unfolding. However, even if Makhachev fights and beats Topuria, Tsarukyan believes Makhachev needs to face him before leaving the lightweight division.
Tsarukyan believes, “Topuria will definitely fight for the belt. He probably vacated the featherweight title because he was promised a lightweight title shot. Islam might not want to fight him because a win might be seen as just defeating a former featherweight, not a top lightweight contender.”
Tsarukyan concluded, “If Islam defeats me, I think he will have accomplished everything in this division. He needs to beat me to solidify his dominance.”
