The lightweight title picture is red hot after Justin Gaethje brutally stopped Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250. While the Spaniard’s team has already targeted an immediate rematch with Gaethje for his return, the American has firmly shut down that possibility. Instead, he is keeping a close eye on the upcoming UFC 331 co-main event between Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy.
Gaethje has made it clear in recent months that he sees Tsarukyan as the rightful No. 1 contender for the lightweight gold. However, the Armenian will first have to get past Ruffy when the two meet in Los Angeles on September 19. While many fans believe Tsarukyan should have fought for the title a long time ago, Dana White has had his reservations about the lightweight contender.
Those concerns largely stem from Tsarukyan pulling out just two days before UFC 311, where he was scheduled to challenge Islam Makhachev for the 155-pound title. Tsarukyan cited a back injury as the reason for his withdrawal. Since then, he has competed just once, at UFC Qatar in November 2025, making that his only fight in the past 27 months.
That, along with incidents such as his backstage brawls, is part of the reason Gaethje believes Tsarukyan has fallen out of the title picture. More importantly, Gaethje never bought the injury explanation behind his UFC 311 withdrawal. Speaking to Demetrious Johnson, he said, “We all make our own bed. He was going to fight Islam Makhachev for the belt. The truth is he wasn’t going to make weight, so he dropped out.”
He added, “If it was his back and there was a medical report on paper with the UFC, then he wouldn’t be suffering like this. There’s no way if he was truly to hurt his back cutting weight, how do you do that for one? Maybe his body was shutting down, and he just couldn’t make weight, which happens.”
Despite his doubts about Tsarukyan, Gaethje is still excited to see how he performs against Ruffy at UFC 331. However, he believes the Armenian could have a relatively easy night if he fights to his strengths.
He said, “As a fan, and even as an athlete that might fight these guys, I’m excited. I think Ruffy is on a tear right now, and his last two fights were ultimately super impressive, and I’m a huge fan of Bobby Green, but he fought Bobby Green and Michael Chandler, who aren’t top three in the UFC. So, who has he fought who’s in the top 10?”
Tsarukyan, meanwhile, has long been viewed as one of the division’s top contenders. He defeated Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 and was also once viewed as a serious threat to an undefeated Ilia Topuria.
Gaethje added, “But this will be his first ultimate test in the UFC vs. a world-class fighter. I think Arman is world-class. Two very different stylistic matchups. Styles make matchups, and I don’t know what we’re going to see.”
Justin Gaethje says he wants to see Arman Tsarukyan “get hit really hard” by Mauricio Ruffy 😭
“I hope Arman gets hit hard. It would be fun to see… He’s been doing so much to NOT be able to fight for the belt.
He was gonna fight Islam Makhachev for the belt and he dropped out the night before. The truth is he wasn’t gonna make weight so he dropped out.”
(via @MightyMouse)
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 9, 2026
While Gaethje respects Tsarukyan’s abilities, he is clearly hoping for a little chaos when the two lightweights finally collide. He said, “Most likely, Arman’s going to take him down. I hope Arman gets hit hard. It would be fun to see. I don’t hate Arman. I’d rather him get hit hard than see him get on top of him (Ruffy) and win. If he knocks out Ruffy, I’d be so happy.”
Gaethje has already confirmed that he will not fight again in 2026 after securing twin title victories at UFC 324 and the White House event in June. For now, the lightweight champion can sit back and watch the contenders battle it out. It will be interesting to see who ultimately earns the chance to challenge Gaethje for the belt when he returns.
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.
