Tsarukyan assured of UFC lightweight title shot at start of 2027 despite Gaethje uncertainty

Arman Tsarukyan has been told by the UFC that his next fight will be a lightweight title shot, with the bout pencilled in for the beginning of 2027, the Armenian contender revealed ahead of his appearance at RAF 14.

The confirmation ends a period of uncertainty for “Batman”, who was pulled from his scheduled challenge against then-champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 last year — just one day before the event — due to health issues. He rebuilt his case with a knockout of Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 in September, a win that appeared to cement his status as the division’s top contender.

However, complications have since emerged. Current lightweight champion Justin Gaethje has been weighing retirement, and rumours of an immediate rematch between Gaethje and Ilia Topuria threatened to sideline Tsarukyan entirely. He says those concerns have now been addressed.

“If they wouldn’t give me a title at 155, I would go down to 145 pounds, but as I heard, I’m going to fight for the title next,” Tsarukyan said. “So I’m going to be in my division and stay there. I don’t want to move anywhere, because I feel like lightweight is the perfect weight class for me. I want to be the best ever lightweight fighter, and break all records there.”

Tsarukyan added that he has been given a broad timeframe but nothing more specific. “Beginning of next year” is all he has been told.

The 28-year-old is currently on a six-fight winning streak inside the UFC and has built a significant public profile through his activity outside the promotion — competing regularly for Real American Freestyle and cultivating a following as a content creator and streamer. But he is clear that the belt, not the broader platform, remains his primary motivation.

“Right now I’m thinking that this is everything that I want right now,” he said. “But I know when I get that belt, I want to defend as much as possible. When I get the belt, first day I’m gonna be so happy, but second day is going to be the same, and I want to fight as much as possible.”

With Gaethje’s future still unresolved and Topuria’s ambitions at 155 pounds an ongoing subplot, the identity of Tsarukyan’s opponent remains unclear — but the fight itself, he insists, is no longer in doubt.