Arman Tsarukyan Fires Back at Topuria: Hinting at a Future Fight?

Tensions are once again rising in the UFC — this time between title contender Ilia Topuria and the top-ranked lightweight Arman Tsarukyan. The spark? A sharp comment from Topuria directed at Tsarukyan during an interview with Ariel Helwani ahead of the UFC 317 title fight between Topuria and Charles Oliveira, scheduled for June 29.

Arman Tsarukyan was named the backup fighter for this bout, which clearly didn't sit well with Topuria.

“He made a bad decision. I don’t know why he took this fight. You can’t just show up as a backup. I don’t know how much he trained for this fight, but if something happens to one of us… even to me—though I think that’s unlikely—but who knows… Even against Charles, he’ll suffer, and with me, he has no chance. First round, first minutes — what’s he gonna do? Go for a takedown? Come on, brother,” Topuria said.

Tsarukyan didn’t stay silent and hit back hard on social media:

“You better pray nothing happens to Charles, because I’m the worst possible matchup for you in this division. You’re fighting for the belt against a guy I already beat — not me. That says it all.”

This exchange begs the question: is the UFC already laying the groundwork for its next big title fight?

Although Arman and Ilia have previously spoken respectfully about each other, this sudden shift in tone doesn’t seem coincidental. UFC fighters rarely engage in trash talk without a reason — more often, such feuds are part of promotion and help build hype around future matchups.

Two scenarios now seem plausible: either the UFC genuinely has concerns about Charles Oliveira’s condition and Arman is preparing to step in, or the organization is already banking on a Topuria victory and looking to build up the next big title bout — Topuria vs. Tsarukyan.

It’s worth noting that Arman is currently in the U.S. and training intensely in case he gets the call.