Arman Tsarukyan is competing once again, but it won’t be in the UFC or RAF.
Hype Fighting announced via social media that the top-ranked UFC lightweight contender is set to face Indian fitness influencer Ankit Baiyanpuria in a submission-only grappling match in Armenia. The event is set to take place this Saturday in Armenia.
Tsarukyan hasn’t competed in the octagon since this past November, when he destroyed Dan Hooker in the main event of UFC Qatar. That bout ended a 17-month layoff following his UFC 300 win over former champ Charles Oliveira in April 2024.
In a recent interview with MMA Fighting prior to his RAF 11 match with Colby Covington, Tsarukyan said he planned on meeting with the UFC that following Monday to discuss his next move. As of now, nothing has been announced. But Tsarukyan has kept himself quite busy in the meantime, including competing eight times for RAF, going 7-1, with the lone loss coming against Covington, losing via points earlier this month for the cruiserweight crossover title.
