Arman Tsarukyan says he has a date circled, and it belongs to somebody else. According to a widely shared r/MMA thread, the No. 2 lightweight said UFC officials told him they’ll let him know by the end of November whether Justin Gaethje will fight again or retire. I haven’t seen a direct post with his exact wording, so treat this as Tsarukyan’s account of what the promotion told him. The UFC hasn’t confirmed any timeline in the sources available.
Here’s why a guy at 24-3 cares this much about another man’s calendar. Gaethje holds the UFC lightweight title, sits third in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings and hasn’t fought since June 14. He’s 28-5. On November 14 he turns 38, which is a number I’d rather not price at short odds against a 30-year-old wrestler from American Top Team. Gaethje became the oldest man to win the UFC lightweight belt at 37, and his bonus rate (17 in 16 UFC appearances) tells you he’s never once picked the easy way to earn a check. That style adds up on the body.
Tsarukyan, No. 13 pound-for-pound, last fought September 19. He’s been the obvious next man in line long enough that he’s started shopping for other options. In comments relayed by Dovy via Helen Yee, he said he’d take Alexander Volkanovski for the lightweight title: “Yeah, I would fight him. He’s old, bad chin. He’s a tough opponent, but he’s a little bit old now. For me, it’s a perfect fight.”
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So the guy waiting on a 37-year-old champion to make up his mind is pitching a fight against another veteran he openly calls old. Consistent, I’ll give him that.
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He isn’t sitting on the couch in the meantime. He was spotted with Khabib Nurmagomedov at the Barcelona vs. Real Madrid match on October 25, and he’s booked to face Anthony Pettis in the main event of RAF 15, a freestyle wrestling card in Chicago, on November 28. That lands right on top of the UFC’s supposed deadline, which means Tsarukyan could be getting his phone call about Gaethje somewhere between weigh-ins and the walkout.
If Gaethje says yes, Tsarukyan figures to be the name the UFC can’t skip. If Gaethje walks, the belt opens up and Tsarukyan’s Volkanovski pitch stops sounding like trash talk and starts sounding like a matchmaking memo. Either way, the answer is supposed to come before December.
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