Arman Tsarukyan has his Octagon return set in stone. Instead of the long-awaited and endlessly evasive UFC ******* le shot he continues to pursue, the top-ranked lightweight will collide with rising contender Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 on Sept. 19 in Los Angeles.
Outside of MMA, Tsarukyan has been on every kind of side quest imaginable in 2026. He hasn't fought since a second-round submission of Dan Hooker in November. Over that time, Tsaurkyan, 29, has gone 7-1 in wrestling matches with Real American Freestyle (RAF) and racked up a 3-0-1 record in submission grappling matches.
Tsarukyan revealed on Monday's "The Ariel Helwani Show" that a rematch against Charles Oliveira was originally on tap for his UFC return bout.
"I was supposed to fight with Charles, co-main event, five rounds," Tsarukyan said. "Then I went for my training camp, and they, in two weeks, when I was in the mountains, called me and said, 'We got a new name for you. It's Ruffy.' I said, 'OK. No problem.'
"I don't want to pull out and wait for Charles, because [it's] LA, five rounds, it's a big card, and I have not fought in long time. I need this fight, so yeah, that's all."

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