Arman Tsarukyan has done pretty well for himself in Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Currently ranked as the No. 1 Lightweight contender, Tsarukyan seemingly has his first career title shot secured after a big split decision win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 300 last month (April 13, 2024). Unfortunately for Tsarukyan, the offered UFC 302 title shot against the champion, Islam Makhachev, after his win was on too short of notice set for this weekend (Sat., June 1, 2024). Instead, perennial top contender, Dustin Poirier, will challenge the champion.
It would be a rematch with gold on the line should Tsarukyan challenge Makhachev after a Poirier win. Makhachev welcomed Tsarukyan to the promotion when they first fought in April 2019. It was a short-notice opportunity for Tsarukyan, and despite the split decision loss, he’s proven to be a legitimate elite 155-pound fighter. However, the champion believes he’s owed some gratitude for how things have played out.
“I think Arman should thank me, I signed him for a fight against me,” Makhachev told UFC Eurasia. “I wouldn’t call it a close fight even though many people say it was. I won every round. Arman still calls for a rematch. He had many opportunities to come out as a substitute. I know that before UFC 302 he was offered to fight me, either way, our rematch is inevitable, we’ll settle this soon.”
Since the Makhachev bout, Tsarukyan has gone 9-1 (22-3 overall). He’s won four in a row after a closely contested unanimous decision loss to Mateusz Gamrot in June 2022.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 302 fight card right here, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches online, which are scheduled to begin at 6:15 p.m. ET (simulcast on ESPN2 at 8 p.m. ET), before the pay-per-view (PPV) main card start time at 10 p.m. ET (also on ESPN+).
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