Arman Tsarukyan may very well be fighting for the lightweight title next, after delivering a spectacular performance at UFC 331. The Armenian scored a brutal first-round knockout over Mauricio Ruffy in the co-main event in Los Angeles, finishing the fight with a vicious elbow at the 4:56 mark.
However, Tsarukyan had to survive some serious adversity before producing the highlight-reel finish. Ruffy opened the fight with a perfectly timed straight right that caught Tsarukyan clean and buckled him.
The shot also caused significant swelling under Tsarukyan’s left eye, raising questions about whether the fight could have been stopped had it reached the end of the opening round. Instead, Tsarukyan completely flipped the script.
He quickly went for a single-leg takedown before transitioning to a body lock against the cage. Ruffy did a good job resisting as the two battled for position, but Tsarukyan remained relentless. With less than 10 seconds left in the round, he suddenly unloaded a short inside elbow before following it up with another devastating shot.
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The second elbow landed flush and sent Ruffy crashing unconscious to the canvas. Tsarukyan was understandably thrilled with the finish. He jumped over the cage after the stoppage to celebrate with Hunter Campbell, Dana White, and Nina Drama before making his intentions clear in his post-fight interview.
He said, “I came here to save this city. Today, Los Angeles is going to have fun. I knew I was going to finish him. First elbow is from this coach, second elbow is from this coach. [It has to be] a title fight or Mark Zuckerberg. I want to fight you next.”
The victory could not have come at a better time for the 29-year-old, who has spent much of the past two years sitting at No. 1 in the UFC’s lightweight rankings. Tsarukyan has previously been passed over for title opportunities, most notably after pulling out of his scheduled January 2025 fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 311.
Since then, he has stayed active outside the UFC with several grappling bouts and submitted Dan Hooker in November 2025. Now, after violently dispatching Ruffy, Tsarukyan has once again put himself directly into the title conversation.
Dana White also appeared to acknowledge how much Tsarukyan has changed since his previous setback. During the UFC 331 post-fight press conference, White said, “Arman? You look like an idiot sitting up here saying that Arman has done anything wrong since the shit that he did wrong. I mean, he’s completely flipped everything, turned it around, and he could not be in a better position now.”
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When asked whether Tsarukyan could face Justin Gaethje next, White remained noncommittal but left the door open. He added, “I don’t know. Yeah, we’ll see. I mean, we don’t know what Gaethje’s thinking yet, you know. He was here tonight. You know, he saw the fight, and we’ll see where his head’s at.”
Gaethje has already said he does not plan to compete again until sometime in 2027, while former champion Ilia Topuria has recently revealed that he has been cleared to return after recovering from his brutal loss at UFC Freedom 250.
For now, Tsarukyan has done everything he can control. After a statement-making knockout at UFC 331, it will be difficult to ignore his claim for the next lightweight title opportunity.
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.
