Arman Tsarukyan Given Terrible News as Justin Gaethje Outlines Plan for Rest of 2026

Arman Tsarukyan faces another setback in his title pursuit as Justin Gaethje reveals his plans for the remainder of 2026.

Arman Tsarukyan Given Terrible News as Justin Gaethje Outlines Plan for Rest of 2026

Justin Gaethje's latest revelation is terrible news for Arman Tsarukyan [via MMA Fighting and MMA Mania]

Arman Tsarukyan has not fought in the UFC since he beat Dan Hooker at UFC Qatar back in November last year. The Armenian has been stuck in an odd spot in the division, being passed up constantly for a title shot. Now, it seems as if he may need to wait out the rest of the year to challenge for the title following a recent revelation from newly crowned champion Justin Gaethje.

The ‘Highlight’ won undisputed gold for the first time in his career last Sunday after beating Ilia Topuria in a massively shocking upset. This win made him the oldest lightweight champion in UFC history at 37 years old. It was also his second title fight win of the year with the American lightweight having beaten Paddy Pimblett in January for the interim lightweight title.

However, therein lies the problem for Tsarukyan. Gaethje has revealed that he wants to rest up for the remainder of the year after having fought twice in 6 months, especially considering that those fights were two brutal wars for championships. As such, he confessed that it is very unlikely that he makes his first title defense before 2027.

I already fought twice this year, and very rarely do you get me twice in one year. So there’s very, very small chance that I would ever consider fighting this year again with what I put myself through.

Justin Gaethje via the Pat McAfee Show

What makes things even worse for Arman Tsarukyan is the sheer amount of fighters who have expressed their interest in fighting the UFC lightweight champion. Conor McGregor, who is slated to return after a 5-year hiatus, has revealed being open to fight for the 155lbs belt against the American if all goes well in his return.

Similarly, Topuria asked for a rematch against Gaethje in the first statement since his loss. That said, ‘Ahalkalakets’ believes he is the real threat to the American’s reign as he recently broke down how his style poses a bigger danger than anyone else.

RELATED
Sean O’Malley Reveals Ilia Topuria’s ‘Bantamweight’ Brother Doesn’t Like Him

Arman Tsarukyan says he is a worse matchup for Justin Gaethe compared to Ilia Topuria

Over the years, Justin Gaethje has shown that he loves to keep fights on the feet. Despite having legitimate amateur wrestling credentials, the UFC lightweight champion rarely shoots takedowns and him landing one is an even rarer sight. As such, Arman Tsarukyan believes that a striking-heavy opponent like Ilia Topuria favors the 37-year-old stylistically.

Arman Tsarukyan, Justin Gaethje, Ilia Topuria
Arman Tsarukyan says he is a tougher matchup for Justin Gaethje [via Yahoo Sports]

Additionally, the Armenian lightweight also pointed to his own fighting style along with former opponents of Gaethje like Khabib Nurmagomedov as styles that present problems to the two-time interim champion. The Highlight fought the retired Dagestani back at UFC 254 in his final fight, losing to him via a mounted triangle choke.

[Ilia] Topuria was a good stylistic matchup for Justin. Topuria wasn’t wrestling. Guys like me, Islam Makhachev, Charles Oliveira, and Khabib Nurmagomedov are dangerous for him because he has no ground game.

Arman Tsarukyan via the Ariel Helwani Show

It is difficult to argue with the point being made by the 6-0 RAF fighter. Justin Gaethje has historically struggled against elite grapplers. There are perhaps no better examples than his title fights against Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira. His aversion to grappling was especially evident against the latter as he refused to follow him to the ground despite securing a knockdown.

The only exception to this was the Highlight’s fight against Paddy Pimblett earlier this year. However, that fight was largely contested on the feet with Gaethje battering the Scouser for most of the fight to win the interim title. Nonetheless, even in that fight, the American lightweight champion seemed reluctant to grapple with his opponent.

All in all, Arman Tsarukyan challenging for the belt against the former two-time interim champion would be an interesting matchup. Despite being in the same division for years, their paths only recently crossed after ‘Ahalkalakets’ bet $1 million on the 37-year-old winning against Topuria at the White House. That said, given recent revelations it seems fans will need to wait to see these two square off in the cage.

Also Read: