Arman Tsarukyan Reacts to Stunning Olympic Endorsement From Kurt Angle

Arman Tsarukyan
February 26, 2022, LAS VEGAS, LAS VEGAS, NV, United States: LAS VEGAS, NV - FEBRUARY 26: Arman Tsarukyan meets with the press following the win at the UFC Apex for UFC Vegas 49 - Makhachev vs Green event on February 26, 2022, in Las Vegas, NV, United States. LAS VEGAS United States - ZUMAp175 20220226_zsa_p175_032 Copyright: xLouisxGrassex
by Kshitiz Kumar Singh

Despite holding the No. 2 spot in the UFC lightweight rankings, Arman Tsarukyan does not have a guaranteed title shot lined up, largely due to circumstances that trace back to January 2025. The Armenian contender was forced to withdraw from his scheduled championship bout against Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 just one day before the fight due to injury. 

The last-minute pullout didn’t sit well with UFC CEO Dana White, who has since been openly critical of Tsarukyan and recently admitted he is not particularly fond of him. Still, Tsarukyan has remained extremely active outside the UFC, continuing to build momentum across multiple combat sports platforms. 

Most recently, he settled his heated rivalry with Georgio Poullas at RAF 7 inside the Yuengling Center in Florida. Their feud had gone viral following a chaotic encounter at RAF 6 last month, where tensions boiled over after Tsarukyan landed illegal strikes following the final bell, sparking a full-scale team brawl. 

 

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He won that initial bout 5–3, and followed it up with an even more emphatic 9–3 victory in their rematch after another intense, back-and-forth contest across three periods. As his reputation continues to grow, Tsarukyan received high praise from Olympic gold medalist and WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle, who was in attendance at the event. 

Angle, who won freestyle wrestling gold at the 1996 Olympic Games, believes Tsarukyan could already compete at the highest level in amateur wrestling. Speaking to The Schmo after the event, the 57-year-old didn’t hold back: “Arman Tsarukyan is the real deal. He could literally go into Olympic wrestling right now and do really well.”

 

Tsarukyan appeared surprised when the comments were relayed to him and initially joked about a potential switch in career paths. He said, “No way. Maybe I will transition to wrestling, who knows?” He quickly clarified that he has no plans to leave MMA behind, reaffirming that his ultimate goal remains becoming a UFC champion.

Since UFC 311, Tsarukyan has been on a remarkable run across grappling and wrestling circuits. He captured the ACBJJ world title in December 2025 by submitting Mehdi Baydulaev, then transitioned into freestyle wrestling, where he defeated Georgio Poullas (5–3) at RAF 06 and dominated Lance Palmer (10–0) via technical fall in his debut at RAF 05. 

He also competed at ADXC 10, where he submitted former Bellator champion Patricky Freire, and picked up another win over Makkasharip Zaynukov at Pit Submission Series 12, further cementing his dominance across disciplines. Inside the Octagon, Tsarukyan also made a strong statement with a submission win over Dan Hooker at UFC Qatar in November 2025, further strengthening his case for a title opportunity. 

However, despite his performances, opportunities at the top have remained elusive, impacted by both his earlier withdrawal and his activities outside the UFC, as he was notably passed over for an interim title fight at UFC 324.

That said, Tsarukyan recently revealed that he knows what’s next. According to the Armenian contender, he has been booked as the official backup fighter for Ilia Topuria’s lightweight title unification bout against Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, potentially placing him one step away from finally securing his long-awaited title shot.