Arman Tsarukyan’s latest fight outside the UFC saw him earn an emphatic win, as he submitted Muhammad Mokaev in their grappling match on Wednesday.
As the pair squared off in the main event of a Hype Brazil card, Tsarukyan put the former UFC flyweight contender to sleep with a rear naked choke. The finish came in the eighth minute, after Tsarukyan’s size advantage as a natural lightweight had helped him wear down Mokaev.
The bout was Tsarukyan’s latest outside of the UFC, as fans continue to express frustration that he is being overlooked for a lightweight title shot in the MMA promotion.
Last week, it was announced that Ilia Topuria will defend the UFC lightweight title against interim champion Justin Gaethje, as the pair headline at the White House on 14 June.
While an interim champion might seem the obvious choice as the next title challenger, fans had already expressed frustration that Tsarukyan wasn’t involved in January’s interim-title fight. Instead, it pitted Gaethje against Paddy Pimblett, with the latter losing a lopsided decision as a grudge match with Topuria slipped away.
As such, American Gaethje – a two-time interim champion – will get his third shot at the undisputed lightweight belt, following submission losses to Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira. Meanwhile, Tsarukyan’s wait goes on.
Admittedly the Armenian, 29, was granted a title shot in January 2025, but he withdrew on one day’s notice, citing a back injury. He would have taken on Islam Makhachev, who previously outpointed him in a close fight in 2019, but he was replaced by Renato Moicano. Makhachev submitted Moicano before vacating his title in May, going on to win welterweight gold in November.
Meanwhile, Topuria knocked out Oliveira in June to win the vacant lightweight strap, before Tsarukyan’s submission of Dan Hooker in November confirmed his No 1 ranking. Still, the Armenian was overlooked for an interim-title fight.
Later, UFC president Dana White hinted that Tsarukyan’s withdrawal against Makhachev has counted against him. Furthermore, his headbutt on Hooker at their pre-fight weigh-in might not have helped his standing with the promotion.
After confirming the White House card, White said on Saturday: “We’ll get Arman figured out. I don’t know. I’m not thrilled with Arman right now, and there’s a lot of different reasons; it’s not just the things that you see publicly.
“No, [I won’t elaborate]. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and Arman’s been smoking a lot recently.”
White also referenced a brawl that had marred Tsarukyan’s previous contest, a grappling win against Georgio Poullas on 28 February. Tsarukyan beat Poullas via decision but took issue with the latter’s approach during the bout, accusing him of various slaps; he then punched Poullas when the contest ended, sparking the brawl.
“Yeah, I don’t love it, I don’t love it,” White said, “but that night, it was somebody else’s problem – not mine. That’s all I’ve got to say about that.”
Tsarukyan has competed in eight grappling bouts since his narrow UFC win over Oliveira in April 2024. He has won seven of them, drawing the other against UFC middleweight Shara Magomedov.
