Arman Tsarukyan is staying active with grappling matches around the world while he awaits his next assignment in the UFC, and he’s confident in his skills to beat anyone in the UFC lightweight division, even a prime Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov retired from the sport in 2020 after improving to 29-0 as a professional, submitting Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje in his final three octagon appearances, but Tsarukyan believes he’s complete than “The Eagle.”
“It’s probably a decision,”
Tsarukyan told Hassan Yosufi when asked how he would beat a prime Nurmagomedov. “My skills [are my biggest advantage]. I’m more well-rounded than him.”
Nurmagomedov saw Tsarukyan as the “more competitive” match-up for then-lightweight champion Islam Makhachev back in April 2025, putting him over Ilia Topuria as the “a more serious fighter.” Topuria ended up knocking out Charles Oliveira to win the UFC lightweight title after Makhachev vacated the belt go to welterweight.
Tsarukyan, who lost a decision to Makhachev in his UFC debut in 2019, was victorious in his past five MMA bouts since 2022, including a split decision over former champion Charles Oliveira and a recent second-round submission against Dan Hooker in November 2025. He’s currently scheduled to wrestle Urijah Faber on RAF 8 on April 18, his 10th match outside of the UFC since his UFC 300 win over “Do Bronx”.
