Arman Tsarukyan will venture outside of the UFC, not for the first time, after being overlooked for a lightweight title shot.
In November, Tsarukyan solidified his status as No 1 contender by dominating and submitting Dan Hooker, seemingly setting him up for a shot at champion Ilia Topuria.
However, after Topuria announced he will be taking a short break from mixed martial arts, the UFC booked an interim-title fight for January, pitting fourth-ranked Justin Gaethje against fifth-ranked Paddy Pimblett.
UFC president Dana White addressed Tsarukyan’s absence from the title picture on Saturday, saying at a press conference: “I wouldn’t say that [Arman] is the odd man out. He had an opportunity, and you guys know how that played out.”
White was referring to Tsarukyan’s cancelled title fight in January, when the Armenian withdrew from a planned bout with then-champion Islam Makhachev. On one day’s notice, Tsarukyan pulled out of the fight while citing a back injury.
“He’s gonna have to work his way back,” White continued. “I don’t give a s*** what the number [ranking] says [...] Too much goes into this for those type of things to happen. You can’t do that. You can’t get the opportunity and then... it can’t end that way.”
With Tsarukyan’s last fight having taken place in April 2024, and with no title bout coming his way as this year went by, the 29-year-old ventured outside the UFC to compete in three grappling contests: beating Makkasharip Zaynukov, Patricky Pitbull and Benson Henderson between May and September.
Now, he is set for another. On 30 December, Tsarukyan will grapple against UFC middleweight Shara “Bullet” Magomedov, as the pair clash under the Hype FC banner.
Specifically, Tsarukyan and Magomedov will meet in a “submission only” jiu-jitsu contest, meaning victory is only attained when the opponent taps out – rather than points coming into play.
The pair will square off at 185lb, the weight at which Magomedov competes in the UFC. Meanwhile, as a lightweight, Tsarukyan fights at 155lb in the UFC.
The matchmaking follows Tsarukyan’s reaction to Pimblett vs Gaethje being booked as the main event of UFC 324, which is scheduled for 24 January. “Make it make sense,” the Armenian tweeted at the time the fight was revealed.
