Arman Tsarukyan was back in action again last night (Sat. May 30, 2026) at Real American Freestyle 9, completely dominating Keelon “Mugzy” Jimison 16-5 lead for a tech fall victory in an entertaining but generally pointless affair. Mugzy had nothing for Tsarukyan but a bunch of disrespectful slaps and shoves, which Tsarukyan largely shrugged off.
There was a moment, though, where “Akhalkalakets” threw a headbutt Mugzy’s way.
“He pushed my back and I don’t know why,” Tsarukyan said after the event at
a media scrum. “The referee, we told him he pushed my back, I don’t know why and I headbutted liked a little bit to show, ‘Don’t play with me,’ you know? Like, ‘Why are you pushing me?’ Because it’s disrespectful, you know? And then I said, ‘Sorry, sorry.’ Because I didn’t, like, headbutt hard. Just a little bit, for him to know, like, don’t forget who I am.”
Things will get more interesting for Arman fans in future RAF match-ups. Tsarukyan will face Tony Ferguson in June and now Colby Covington in July. As for a return to the actual UFC Octagon? Tsarukyan recently revealed he wouldn’t bother to play backup for Topuria vs. Gaethje, and now he estimates he won’t be back in the cage until fall or the end of the year.
“I’m waiting for the White House card, when [Topuria and Gaethje] are going to fight,” Tsarukyan said (video via MMA Junkie). “And then they are going to announce my next fight, probably September, October, or end of this year.”
“It depends who is going to win. If it’s Ilia, probably the end of this year. If it’s Gaethje, probably September, October.”
Tsarukyan made it clear he had a preference for who he wanted to fight for the lightweight title.
“Ilia Topuria. I want to fight Ilia Topuria,” he said. “I think Ilia Topuria [wins], but Justin is an OG and you never know. When he fought with [Rafael] Fiziev, everybody thought he’s young and a good striker and knock him out. But he went there and showed still can compete at the highest level. Same with Paddy Pimblett. So yes, 60-40 [chance Topuria wins].”
Tsarukyan sounded confident he’d fight Topuria next, but also admitted there was a chance the Spanish-Georgian fighter might move up to welterweight to fight Islam Makhachev in a battle of the pound-for-pound greats.
“If UFC let’s him move up, he’s going to move up,” Arman said. “It’s better to fight with Islam than me, because it’s a third title, big money, and if he loses to Islam, it’s OK. He moves up two weight classes and moves to pound-for-pound [best]. But if he loses to me at 155, he’s going to be gone.”
But on the other hand, Topuria vs. Tsarukyan is no longer a small fight. Arman’s busy schedule has created a legitimate appetite for that match amongst more than just hardcore fans.
“I see what social media is saying and what everyone is talking about,” Tsarukyan said. “And everybody wants to see me versus Ilia. Everybody’s excited for that fight. Even me.”
