Tsarukyan urges new champion Gaethje to shelve retirement and face him next

Arman Tsarukyan is urging Justin Gaethje to shelve any thoughts of retirement after the 37-year-old dethroned Ilia Topuria to claim the undisputed UFC lightweight title at UFC White House last weekend — and the Armenian contender is already mapping out how he plans to beat him.

Gaethje (28-5) survived a fierce second-round assault from Topuria (17-1) before systematically breaking down the Georgian champion, ultimately forcing his corner to throw in the towel after the fourth round. The victory represented the pinnacle of Gaethje’s career and silenced speculation that a loss might have prompted him to walk away from the sport.

Gaethje himself announced he had promised his mother not to make any decision on retirement immediately after winning the title. Tsarukyan, widely regarded as the frontrunner for the next lightweight title shot, wants to make sure that promise holds.

“He shouldn’t retire because he looked so good,” Tsarukyan (23-3) said on The Ariel Helwani Show. “I think he’s got maybe two more years. He’s on his prime. He looks strong, fast. Good cardio, good chin. It’s like a new version of Justin Gaethje. He was taking hard punches from Ilia Topuria and he didn’t even shake. And he has no scratches on his face — that’s crazy.”

Beyond the praise, Tsarukyan was candid about the tactical blueprint he would bring to a potential title fight. Having studied Gaethje’s performance closely, he identified weaknesses on the ground that he intends to exploit.

“I’m going to go in there, take him down and choke him. I won’t strike with him,” Tsarukyan said. “He doesn’t know how to escape from the mount — he just turned his back.”

The comments signal that a Gaethje-Tsarukyan matchup is the most logical next step in the lightweight division, with Tsarukyan positioning himself as both an admirer of the new champion and the man best equipped to dethrone him.