Arman Tsarukyan was set up for a lightweight title shot back in January 2025 but a last minute back injury knocked him out of his fight against Islam Makhachev and he’s never been afforded another shot at the belt as a result.
Now almost two years later, Tsarukyan is still the No. 1 contender at 155 pounds but instead of competing for gold at UFC 331, he’s taking on Mauricio Ruffy in a fight that could potentially earn him that title fight opportunity. By all accounts, Tsarukyan has accepted his punishment for the injury that forced a last-minute change to a major card but he also believes it’s win or go home on Sept. 19 if he ever hopes to compete for UFC gold.
“I’m taking Mauricio Ruffy as an opponent for my title fight,” Tsarukyan said on his YouTube channel. “Every fight for me is important. I give all of myself in [my] training camp.
“If I lose this fight, I’m never going to see a title fight. That’s why I’m super motivated for this fight, super hungry. I’ve been working so hard for that moment.”
Heading into UFC 331, Tsarukyan is heavily favored to win thanks to his dominant grappling game and suffocating wrestling attacks while going up against a fighter like Ruffy, who almost exclusively prefers to stand and strike with his opponents.
But Tsarukyan is no fool and he won’t get drawn into a game where he’s so determined to drag this fight to the ground and Ruffy suddenly finds an opening for one of his knockout strikes.
“I never underestimate him, especially his striking,” Tsarukyan said. “I’ve got to be so smart during the fight because he has a good punch, so he’s knocked out a lot of people.
“Now it’s my time. I have a good game plan. It’s going to work very well. I’m not saying it’s going to be an easy fight. It’s going to be a hard fight but I get the victory.”
Tsarukyan vs. Ruffy serves as the co-main event at UFC 331 on Sept. 19 with flyweight champion Joshua Van defending his belt agains former champion Alexandre Pantoja in the five-round main event.
