The UFC flyweight title is up for grabs this Saturday, September 19 at the Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles. It’s a compelling rematch between incumbent champion Joshua Van, a hard-hitting, forward-pressing striker, and Alexandre Pantoja, a decorated former champion with tremendous Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills. Yet, despite the backstory and fantastic headlining bout, Arman Tsarukyan, a lightweight with bulldozing wrestling and unparalleled grappling, remains the talk of UFC 331.
From his dominant wrestling to his flamboyant lifestyle, Tsarukyan has developed a bit of a cult following in mixed martial arts. Many consider him an uncrowned champion in waiting, others know him as the UFC’s bad boy, tussling with fans and forcing altercations outside of competition. Tsarukyan has become one of the most talked about fighters on the UFC roster, and his showdown against Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 may have serious title implications, if he can secure a finish.
Heading into UFC 331, we take an in-depth look at Arman Tsarukyan …
Tsarukyan in the UFC
A UFC veteran of 12 fights, Tsarukyan (10-2 UFC, 23-3 MMA) first entered the Octagon in 2019, serving as a late-notice replacement to face current pound-for-pound number-one Islam Makhachev. While he lost that night in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tsarukyan made a lasting impression with a Fight of the Night performance. He spent the next several years searching for opponents willing to face his dominant wrestling, collecting a pair of Performance of the Night bonuses en route to his first UFC main event.
Headlining his first fight card in June 2022, Tsarukyan lost a highly contested decision to Mateusz Gamrot (currently ranked ninth in the lightweight division) in a Fight of the Night performance. The loss was a minor setback for Tsarukyan who spent the next two years climbing the divisional ranks, collecting highlight-reel worthy knockouts. The momentum carried him to a number-one-contender match against former lightweight champion Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira at the historic UFC 300 event, and under the brightest lights, Tsarukyan shined with smothering and dominant wrestling.
He officially arrived as the UFC’s top lightweight title challenger.
A Fall From Grace
The pivotal win at UFC 300 propelled Tsarukyan to a highly coveted lightweight title shot. The stage was set for a rematch against Makhachev at UFC 311 in January 2025. All the stars were aligning for Tsarukyan, who is of Armenian heritage, to fight for the title in Los Angeles, a city with the highest Armenian population outside of Armenia. Until the day of weigh-ins, when it all came crumbling down.
Unable to even step up to the scale, Tsarukyan forfeited his title shot citing a bad back. The injury left him unable to make the 155-pound limit for the lightweight belt, and he went unseen for the next year and a half.
It’s a rare thing to ever earn a UFC title shot, and failing to weigh in left Tsarukyan on the promotion’s “Do Not Fly” list, at least temporarily. Many believed he may never reach these same heights again.
Arman Tsarukyan just threw punches at Georgio Poullas after their match 😳
CHAOS 🤯 pic.twitter.com/hkKgE1IdoK
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) March 1, 2026
The Comeback Trail
Somewhat of an MMA pariah, Tsarykyan spent the ensuing months traveling around the world on luxury jets, driving expensive cars, and eating mountains of caviar. He used the downtime to heighten his brand outside of the Octagon, utilizing social media to document his flamboyant lifestyle, gaining a massive following in the process.
Tsarukyan also used the down time to shift his focus to competitive wrestling and submission grappling. Rattling off win after win, Tsarukyan displayed his athletic dominance, competing against notable UFC veterans like Tony Ferguson, Urijah Faber, and Benson Henderson, along with numerous NCAA Division-1 wrestlers, he worked his way back into the UFC, securing yet another headlining bout, this time against Dan Hooker in Qatar.
Tsarukyan made quick work of Hooker, needing less than two rounds to submit his opponent. The win was impressive, but not enough to secure a title shot at the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House. Instead, he served as a backup to former champion Ilia Topuria, who lost his title on the White House lawn to current lightweight champion Justin Gaethje. But many believe that Tsarukyan has always been the rightful number-one contender.
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One Last Mountain to Climb
With the lightweight division in the midst of a complete turnover of talent, Tsarukyan remains one of the longest running members of the 155-pound elite. Riding a 5-fight win streak, he has already demonstrated enough to garner a title shot, but given his status in divisional purgatory, the UFC has booked him to face Ruffy (5-1 UFC, 14-2 MMA), a long and rangy striker with an unorthodox style.
While Ruffy has been an absolute delight to watch – he has collected three Performance of the Night checks in six UFC fights, including a pair of spinning wheel kick knockouts – he doesn’t necessarily match up that well against Tsarukyan, who is known for closing distance and forcing the clinch.
There is always the off chance that Ruffy can catch Tsarukyan with a knee, but the bout seems tailor made for the Armenian to land a takedown and keep the fight on the mat. Of course, things don’t always go as planned for Tsarukyan, so we’ll have to wait and see how it all goes down at UFC 331 on Saturday night.
UFC 331 Main Card (on Paramount+) 6 p.m. PST / 9 p.m. EST
- Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja — for the UFC flyweight title
- Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy
- Patricio Pitbull vs. Doo-ho Choi
- Gable Steveson vs. Sean Sharaf
- Alonzo Menifield vs. Iwo Baraniewski
UFC 331 Prelims (on Paramount+) 4 p.m. PST / 6 p.m. EST
- Marlon “Chito” Vera vs. Charles Jourdain
- Tai Tuivasa vs. Robelis Despaigne
- Michael Aswell Jr. Joo-Sang Yoo
- Ryan Gandra vs. Ozzy Diaz
UFC 331 Early Prelims (on Paramount+) 2:30 p.m. PST / 5:30 p.m. EST
- Edmen Shahbazyan vs. Bruno Ferreira
- Casey O’Neill vs. Eduarda Moura
- Giga Chikadze vs. Joanderson Brito
* fight card subject to change
Dan Shapiro is a writer, editor, musician, and producer currently based in Los Angeles. In addition to covering some of the biggest fights in combat sports history, he’s also hunted down the world’s best sushi, skied the northern hemisphere in July, and chronicled Chinese underground music for publications like CNN, the New York Daily News, VICE, and Time Out. Dan also conjured up a ghost at the Chateau Marmont while out on assignment for RoadTrippers. Follow him on Twitter here.
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