Arman Tsarukyan should secure a title shot with a win at UFC 331, but is the same true for his opponent Mauricio Ruffy?
Saturday’s co-main event is being billed as a No. 1 contender bout, though Tsarukyan has held that position for some time without earning another crack at UFC gold. His first shot at UFC 311 ended in disaster, when a back injury forced him to pull out of a fight with then-lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, leading to Renato Moicano being elevated to the main event at the last
second. Makhachev made short work of Moicano, and Tsarukyan has been waiting for another opportunity ever since.
Current lightweight champion Justin Gaethje isn’t expected to defend his title until 2027, and former champion Ilia Topuria has been angling for a rematch, so nothing is guaranteed to either Tsarukyan or Ruffy. However, Henry Cejudo thinks an impressive performance from Ruffy could vault him into an unexpected clash with Gaethje.
“He skips everybody,” Cejudo said on his Pound 4 Pound podcast. “This is the feeling that I’m getting. I would hope, competitively, Arman Tsarukyan deserves it with a win. He does, he really does, but I also get the fact that what the UFC’s doing: back problems, he pulled out a day before, it was a big event, and then all of a sudden you’ve got f*cking Moicano fighting for a world title, which, with all due respect, [Moicano’s] got no business in that realm.”
UFC CEO Dana White has previously admitted he’s had issues with Tsarukyan, not only because of what happened at UFC 311, but also because of a headbutt Tsarukyan threw at Dan Hooker ahead of their UFC Qatar clash this past November. Though Tsarukyan went on to dominate Hooker, the win seemingly did little to endear Tsarukyan to the matchmakers.
Ruffy’s résumé isn’t as strong as Tsarukyan’s, but he has become a fan favorite for his highlight-reel finishes, including his 2025 Knockout of the Year over King Green. In his most recent fight in June, Ruffy knocked out Michael Chandler at the massive UFC White House event. Cejudo believes Ruffy could make for a crowd-pleasing matchup against Gaethje.
“I don’t know what the UFC’s thinking with Arman,” Cejudo said. “I know it almost seems like Dana is not as fond as him as much as we would like for him to be and that’s just the God’s honest truth. You can hear it in interviews.
“But Mauricio Ruffy, I do believe that if he’s able to beat a guy like Arman Tsarukyan, I do believe that he’s next. And who wouldn’t want to see Mauricio Ruffy vs. Justin Gaethje?”
Tsarukyan is a heavy favorite heading into Saturday, having won five straight fights and 10 of his past 11. His wrestling-heavy style is expected to be a perfect foil for Ruffy’s thrilling striking game.
No matter who wins, Cejudo reminds fans that it’s White who will play a major role in deciding who actually gets to fight for a UFC championship.
“I’ve told this to Arman and a little bit of what you’ve been hearing of Dana White say a couple things, at the end of the day Hunter can say something, but Dana White is the decision maker here,” Cejudo said. “Hunter can promise you something, but Dana White can revoke it or make it happen. And a little bit of what Dana said if Arman wins, I don’t think he’s too convinced. I don’t know if that’s going to be the case for Arman of victory over Mauricio Rufy.
“I will say this, Mauricio Ruffy, yeah, even though he did get submitted by Benoit Saint Denis, he’s made the transition of moving out to Australia, working out with [UFC featherweight champion Alexander] Volkanovski, which is one thing that Volkanovski did very, very well is getting back to his feet. We saw with Islam Makhachev. If Mauricio Ruffy is able to keep it on his feet, I give the edge to Mauricio Ruffy. But Arman Tsarukyan, he’s willing to let go all the money in the world to become the best in the world and I just think it’s hard to bet against a wrestler, especially when you’re just making a living off of that.”
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