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 ended at the 4:56 mark, with Tsarukyan landing a nasty elbow in the corner of the cage and sending Ruffy into the shadow realm.
Tsarukyan then used the biggest moment of his night to call out Justin Gaethje for a shot at the 155-pound gold. While that matchup has looked unlikely for much of the past year, even Dana White appeared somewhat open to the possibility of the fight finally happening down the line.
The Armenian only added more fuel to the fire by accusing Gaethje of ducking him and pursuing a rematch with Ilia Topuria instead. Topuria recently announced that he is cleared to return, putting another potential option in Gaethje’s path. Amid all the speculation, Gaethje’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, has now offered an update on a potential Tsarukyan-Gaethje title fight.
Ali Abdelaziz Says Justin Gaethje Will Decide Whether He Returns to the UFC
In an interview with Submission Radio, Gaethje’s manager said, “First of all, Arman is a stud; he’s one of the best fighters in the world. That was impressive… Honestly, the way he knocked him out, it was one of the scariest knockouts I’ve seen in a long time… He’s a future world champion for sure. I don’t know what the UFC (wants to do next), it’s up to the UFC what they want to do with him, but all credit to him… Unbelievable.”
He then explained that Gaethje will make his next move on his own terms, even if that means walking away from the sport. Abdelaziz added, “As for Justin Gaethje, he’s earned it; he can do whatever he wants and whatever the UFC wants. We will figure it out; if Arman is next, so be it; if someone else is next, so be it, it’s gonna be up to Justin and what he wants to do.”
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The MMA manager also admitted that he has some wild ideas for Gaethje’s future, although everything depends on what the fighter and UFC decide. He said, “I have some ideas in my head, but I’m always living in a fantasy world, right. I believe Justin has nothing left to prove in this division, but it’s going to be up to Justin… I’m sure we will see Gaethje back in the cage, between who and where, I don’t know.”
Abdelaziz concluded with, “Justin has to do something so unique and so big, he has nothing else to prove… Let him do whatever he wants to do, for once.”
Interestingly, Gaethje did back Tsarukyan to beat Ruffy ahead of UFC 331, although he also admitted that he wanted the Brazilian to hit the Armenian as hard as possible. Whether that was simply playful trash talk or Gaethje genuinely believes the accumulated damage could give him an advantage remains to be seen.
Gaethje has long regarded Tsarukyan as one of the top contenders for the lightweight title after claiming the belt at UFC Freedom 250. Tsarukyan is now riding a six-fight winning streak at lightweight and was originally scheduled to challenge Makhachev for the title last year. However, his last-minute withdrawal from UFC 311, along with a few other incidents, left him in the UFC doghouse for some time.
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While Tsarukyan missed his opportunity against Makhachev in January 2025, he has since bounced back in a big way with finishes over Dan Hooker and now Ruffy inside the Octagon.
After making such a statement at UFC 331, Tsarukyan has once again put himself firmly in the lightweight title conversation. Whether that leads to a showdown with Gaethje next remains up in the air, but the 155-pound picture is getting more interesting by the day.
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.
