Arman Tsarukyan plans to return to the Octagon before facing Ilia Topuria

Armenian UFC fighter Arman Tsarukyan shared his plans for the near future in an interview with UFC Eurasia. According to him, he does not intend to wait for champion Ilia Topuria’s return in January and wants to fight earlier.

“There’s no news yet, we’re waiting. From what I’ve heard, Ilia wants to come back in January, but I’d like to fight before then, since I haven’t competed for a long time. October, November, or late September—I’ll be ready to fight anyone who calls me out and deserves it. For now, the plan is to fight someone before Ilia, and then fight Ilia in January,” Tsarukyan said.

It should be reminded that on August 16 at UFC 319 he was in Khamzat Chimaev’s corner, who defeated Dricus Du Plessis to become the new middleweight champion. Thus, Tsarukyan continues to keep himself in the spotlight, as he hasn’t stepped into the Octagon for a year and a half. His last fight took place in April 2024, when the Armenian defeated Charles Oliveira and rose to the top of the lightweight rankings.