Arman Tsarukyan Names The Next Fighter He Would Like To Face After UFC 311 Withdrawal

The UFC lightweight division never fails to deliver drama, both inside and outside the octagon. Fresh off his unfortunate UFC 311 withdrawal and replacement by Renato Moicano, Arman Tsarukyan has been clamoring about who his next opponent will be.
The Armenian-Russian fighter isn’t just sitting around waiting for the phone to ring. He has got some pretty specific ideas about who he wants to punch next and how he would reclaim his spot as the top contender for the throne that is sat upon by Islam Makhachev.
After his withdrawal from UFC 311 raised many eyebrows and questioned the legitimacy of his title aspirations, Tsarukyan decided to play his own version of lightweight chess. During the recent JAXXON podcast appearance, he revealed that he was eyeing a rematch with former champion Charles Oliveira, and his timing couldn’t be more strategic. With Islam Makhachev sitting on the throne and looking for his next challenger, Tsarukyan wants to get to Oliveira first.
The whole situation gets even more intriguing when fans consider Tsarukyan’s backup plan. If the Oliveira fight doesn’t materialize, he has his sights set on Michael Chandler. These three have formed an heirarcy line, with Tsarukyan beating Oliveira and Oliveira beating Chandler in their last fights.
“Islam gonna come back in summer or October. He’s not gonna fight in April, May or June. Maybe Islam gonna move to 170, and I can fight Charles [Oliveira]. Or if they aren’t going to do that, then I’m gonna fight with Michael Chandler.”
Arman Tsarukyan’s first fight back in 2019 against Islam Makhachev was a competitive battle that had fans on the edge of their seats. Now, with both fighters having evolved significantly, Tsarukyan seems determined to prove he’s no longer the same fighter who lost that decision. And he is willing to remove any obstacle from his path to do that.
For now, all eyes are on how this will play out. Will Oliveira bite on the callout? Will Chandler emerge and accept the challenge? Or will the UFC have completely different plans for everyone involved? Nobody knows, and that’s the beauty of the fight game!