Arman Tsarukyan revealed his next UFC bout will take place in September or later in 2026. He explained he wore a cowboy hat at his recent fight because he bought it in Texas on a friend's suggestion. On a potential Islam Makhachev vs. Ilia Topuria fight at lightweight, Tsarukyan believes Topuria should face Islam first before fighting him, reasoning that a loss to Islam would be less damaging than losing to Tsarukyan in the lightweight division.
Arman Tsarukyan has revealed that his next UFC appearance will not come before September, with the lightweight contender indicating his return could come at any point from that month through the rest of 2026.
Tsarukyan, 29, currently sits at number one in the lightweight division with a record of 23-3-0. The Russia-born American Top Team product stands five-foot-seven with an unusually long 72-inch reach and has built his reputation as one of the most complete fighters in the division, averaging 3.26 takedowns and 3.85 significant strikes per 15 minutes at 50 percent accuracy. In a lighter moment, he also addressed his recent appearance in a cowboy hat, explaining he picked it up in Texas on the advice of a friend.
The interview touched on the growing conversation around a potential lightweight title fight between champion Islam Makhachev and Ilia Topuria. Makhachev, 34, carries a 28-1-0 record and is the reigning welterweight champion who has also competed at lightweight, landing strikes at 58 percent accuracy — among the highest in the sport — while averaging 3.2 takedowns per 15 minutes. Topuria, ranked second at lightweight and first in the pound-for-pound rankings at 29 years old, holds a 17-1-0 record and generates 4.81 significant strikes per minute for his Spanish club Climent Club.
Tsarukyan's position on a Makhachev-Topuria matchup was pointed: he believes Topuria should fight Makhachev before coming for him, arguing that a defeat at the hands of Makhachev would be less costly to Topuria's standing in the lightweight division than a loss to Tsarukyan would be.
Why it matters
- Tsarukyan's timeline pushes any lightweight title picture clarity to the second half of 2026 at the earliest
- His comments add another layer to the increasingly crowded negotiation around the lightweight throne
- A Makhachev versus Topuria fight, if made, would pit the top two pound-for-pound fighters against each other with Tsarukyan waiting as the division's top-ranked contender
