11:44  ,  June 16, 2026

Armenia’s Arman Tsarukyan: I have to be Justin Gaethje’s next opponent

Arman Tsarukyan (Armenia), the No. 2-ranked title contender in the lightweight division of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in mixed martial arts (MMA), has expressed hope that the new UFC lightweight champion, Justin Gaethje (USA), will be his next opponent.

“It has to be me. Like, who else? Come on. What are they going to do? It's me. I want to beat Justin Gaethje. I want to beat everybody,” Tsarukyan said, in particular, in an interview with sports journalist Ariel Helwani.

In the UFC lightweight title fight held at the White House in Washington, D.C., Gaethje had defeated the now former champion, Ilia Topuria (Spain), by technical knockout.

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