Cejudo backs Ruffy to leapfrog Tsarukyan into Gaethje title shot after UFC 331

Henry Cejudo has backed Mauricio Ruffy to earn a UFC lightweight title shot against Justin Gaethje with an upset win over Arman Tsarukyan in Saturday’s co-main event at UFC 331, arguing that the promotion’s complicated relationship with Tsarukyan could open the door for the Brazilian finisher.

Saturday’s bout is officially billed as a No. 1 contender fight, but Tsarukyan has occupied that position for some time without converting it into a title opportunity. His scheduled clash with then-champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 collapsed when a back injury forced him to withdraw the day before the event, with Renato Moicano stepping in as a late replacement only to be stopped quickly by Makhachev.

“I don’t know what the UFC’s thinking with Arman,” Cejudo said on his Pound 4 Pound podcast. “I know it almost seems like Dana is not as fond of him as much as we would like for him to be and that’s just the God’s honest truth. You can hear it in interviews.”

UFC CEO Dana White has previously acknowledged tensions with Tsarukyan stemming not only from the UFC 311 withdrawal but also from a headbutt the Armenian-Russian fighter threw at Dan Hooker ahead of their UFC Qatar bout last November. Tsarukyan went on to dominate Hooker, but the incident appeared to do little to improve his standing with the matchmakers.

Cejudo acknowledged that Tsarukyan deserves the title shot on merit — the 28-year-old enters UFC 331 having won five straight and 10 of his past 11 — but suggested the UFC may look past him if Ruffy delivers another spectacular performance.

“He skips everybody,” Cejudo said of Ruffy. “Arman Tsarukyan deserves it with a win. He does, he really does, but I also get the fact that what the UFC’s doing.”

Ruffy has built a reputation as one of the division’s most exciting finishers. He claimed the 2025 Knockout of the Year award for his stoppage of King Green and most recently knocked out Michael Chandler at the high-profile UFC White House event in June. Cejudo believes that profile makes him a natural opponent for the current champion.

“Mauricio Ruffy, I do believe that if he’s able to beat a guy like Arman Tsarukyan, I do believe that he’s next,” Cejudo said. “And who wouldn’t want to see Mauricio Ruffy vs. Justin Gaethje?”

Gaethje is not expected to make a title defence until 2027, and former champion Ilia Topuria has also been pushing for a rematch, meaning neither Tsarukyan nor Ruffy has a guaranteed path to a shot regardless of Saturday’s result. Tsarukyan’s wrestling-heavy style is widely considered a difficult stylistic matchup for Ruffy’s striking-based game, making him a heavy favourite heading into the contest.