TLDR
- Arman Tsarukyan faces Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 on September 19 in Los Angeles after Charles Oliveira withdrew
- Justin Gaethje questions whether Ruffy has faced top-10 competition despite his recent knockout victories
- Tsarukyan withdrew from a title fight against Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 just one day before the event
- UFC President Dana White won’t guarantee a title shot to the winner until after the fight
- Islam Makhachev encouraged young Tsarukyan after defeating him by decision in 2019
Sources: sports.yahoo.com | mmasucka.com | centraloregondaily.com
Arman Tsarukyan will face Mauricio Ruffy in the co-main event of UFC 331 on September 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The fight comes after Charles Oliveira withdrew from the matchup to take time off following the death of his friend, UFC flyweight Allan Nascimento.
Ruffy enters the fight with momentum after back-to-back TKO victories over Rafael Fiziev and Michael Chandler at UFC Freedom 250. The Brazilian fighter holds a record of 14-2 in MMA and 5-1 in the UFC.
Tsarukyan has a record of 23-3 in MMA and 10-2 in the UFC. He has long been considered the top contender in the lightweight division.
Gaethje Questions Ruffy’s Competition Level
UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje shared his thoughts on the matchup during an interview with Demetrious Johnson. He questioned whether Ruffy has faced top-level competition.
Arman Tsarukyan thinks Charles Oliveira used the death of his teammate Allan Nascimento as an excuse to pull out of their fight 😬
"Charles friend died and he cannot train. But I don't understand, in 3-4 days he's doing trainings and back in camp.
Probably they already set up a… pic.twitter.com/G86x1UHiCA
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) August 17, 2026
“I think Ruffy is on a f*cking tear right now, and his last two fights were ultimately super, super impressive,” Gaethje said. “But he fought Bobby Green and Michael Chandler, who aren’t top three in the UFC. So, who has he fought who’s in the top 10?”
Gaethje called Tsarukyan a world-class fighter and said this will be Ruffy’s first true test in the UFC. “Most likely, Arman’s going to take him down,” Gaethje predicted.
The champion admitted he hopes to see an exciting fight. “I hope Arman gets hit hard. It would be fun to see,” Gaethje said.
Tsarukyan’s Path to Title Shot Remains Unclear
Tsarukyan was scheduled to fight Islam Makhachev for the title at UFC 311 in 2025. He withdrew from that fight just one day before the event, losing his title shot opportunity.
The Armenian fighter has since defeated Dan Hooker by submission at UFC Fight Night 265 in November 2025. He has only lost twice in the UFC, with his most recent defeat coming against Mateusz Gamrot.
Tsarukyan made his UFC debut in 2019 against Makhachev, taking the fight on short notice at age 22. He lost a close decision in that bout.
After that fight, Makhachev spoke words of encouragement to the young fighter. “He supported me after the fight. He said, ‘You’re still young, everything’s ahead of you. So don’t be upset,'” Tsarukyan recalled.
Tsarukyan said he was disappointed despite the kind words. “I was like, ‘I’m not that young.’ I never liked losing… no matter how young I was,” he said.
Dana White has not guaranteed Tsarukyan a title shot if he defeats Ruffy. The UFC president said he wants to see how the fight plays out first.
“I hate to say that until the fight is over… Arman says a lot of things,” White said. “Listen, let’s see how this fight plays out.”
Tsarukyan has defeated top fighters including Charles Oliveira and Dan Hooker during his UFC career. The winner of UFC 331’s co-main event is expected to challenge Gaethje for the lightweight title.
