UFC 331 turned into a huge night for Arman Tsarukyan as the Armenian scored a vicious first-round knockout over Mauricio Ruffy. The co-main event came to an end at the 4:56 mark, with Tsarukyan drilling Ruffy with a nasty elbow in the corner of the cage and sending him into the shadow realm.
After a performance like that, it is hard to argue against giving Tsarukyan anything but the next title shot. The 29-year-old has been stuck in limbo ever since his UFC 311 withdrawal from his scheduled fight against Islam Makhachev. However, even Dana White seemed convinced that Tsarukyan has done enough to get himself back into the title picture.
The UFC CEO said during the post-fight press conference that Tsarukyan has completely flipped the script when it comes to a potential shot at the gold. However, White also made it clear that Justin Gaethje gets to decide what he wants to do next and when, especially since the American is already done for the year following wins over Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria.
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Tsarukyan, however, believes Gaethje is simply scared and trying to duck him. During the post-fight press conference, he claimed, “He never tells my name, so he’s scared, and he knows he wanted to Ruffy knock me out, so it means like he’s trying to avoid me.”
Gaethje did back Tsarukyan to beat Ruffy ahead of UFC 331, although he also hoped the Brazilian would hit the Armenian as hard as he could. Whether that was simply playful trash talk or Gaethje genuinely thinking cumulative damage could give him an advantage remains to be seen.
Tsarukyan believes Gaethje could also try to price himself out of the matchup. He added, “He’s going to try to call out Ilia Topuria or tell, like, ‘I want $15 million for Arman Tsarukyan, or I’m retired,’ and he’s going to play around the stupid game.”
The Armenian believes Gaethje has a simple choice to make if he does not want the matchup. He further said, “Yeah, but you see, either he’s going to fight me or either he’s going to leave the title, give the opportunity for the young guys. We have a lot of contenders right now.”
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Gaethje has long regarded Tsarukyan as the No. 1 contender for the lightweight gold after claiming the belt at UFC Freedom 250. However, the American recently reversed his stance on not granting Ilia Topuria an immediate rematch after the Spaniard accused him of tampering with his gloves ahead of their June 14 fight.
Tsarukyan is currently riding a six-fight winning streak at lightweight and was supposed to challenge Makhachev for the title last year. However, his last-minute withdrawal from UFC 311, along with other incidents, left him in the UFC doghouse for some time.
While Tsarukyan did miss his chance against Makhachev in January 2025, he has since bounced back with finishes over Dan Hooker and now Ruffy inside the Octagon.
With Tsarukyan making such a statement at UFC 331, the 155-pound title picture is starting to get very interesting. Whether Gaethje finally gives him the opportunity or another contender enters the mix remains to be seen.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
