Arman Tsarukyan is of the belief that he’s done enough to earn another shot at the reigning lightweight champ, Islam Makhachev. This conviction comes after a series of victories that have marked his career.
Tsarukyan’s debut in the Octagon against Makhachev at UFC Fight Night 149 in April 2019 didn’t go as planned. He lost a tough decision, but that didn’t deter him. Since then, he’s been victorious in nine of his ten promotional appearances.
His most impressive victory was perhaps his recent win on Saturday. He defeated Beneil Dariush in just 64 seconds, headlining UFC on ESPN 52. Tsarukyan, a product of the American Top Team, was quick to point out that Oliveira took longer to defeat Dariush in their matchup at UFC 289.
At the post-fight press conference, Tsarukyan said, “Charles knocked him out, and if I won by decision, how am I going to fight for the title? But I knocked him out faster than Charles, and he didn’t take me down like he did with Charles. I performed better than Charles. Charles already had the opportunity, so it’s my time right now.”
Oliveira, on the other hand, lost to Makhachev via second-round submission in their title bout at UFC 280. He was scheduled for a rematch against the lightweight champ at UFC 294, but had to pull out due to a training injury. Currently, it’s expected that Oliveira is the No. 1 contender in waiting.
Tsarukyan knew the stakes were high when he entered UFC on ESPN 52. He knew he needed a memorable performance to potentially surpass Oliveira. “When they gave me the fight, I was thinking, ‘I have to knock him out in the first round and call out Islam and get a title fight,” Tsarukyan said.
UFC CEO Dana White didn’t make any commitments regarding the lightweight title picture. However, he did acknowledge that Tsarukyan vs. Makhachev would be a “great stylistic matchup.”
Tsarukyan doesn’t necessarily have another opponent in mind if he doesn’t get a title shot next. “If they’re not going to give me a title shot, then we have to figure it out,” he said. “But hopefully they give me a title fight and that’s it.”