Tsarukyan jokes only a gun would help him against Tom Aspinall

Arman Tsarukyan offered a candid and humorous assessment of his chances against UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall, suggesting the size gap between them would be so severe that only a firearm could level the playing field.

Tsarukyan, known by the nickname Ahalkalakets, carries a 23-3 record and holds the number-one contender ranking in the lightweight division. The 29-year-old Russian trains out of American Top Team and stands five-foot-seven with a 72-inch reach. He averages 3.85 significant strikes landed per minute and leads with a strong takedown rate of 3.26 per 15 minutes, making him one of the most complete fighters in a loaded 155-pound division.

Aspinall, by contrast, is built on an entirely different scale. The 33-year-old Englishman from Team Kaobon stands six-foot-five with a 78-inch reach and holds a 15-3 record alongside the UFC heavyweight title. He ranks sixth pound-for-pound and is one of the most devastating strikers in the sport, landing 7.63 significant strikes per minute at a remarkable 67 percent accuracy. He also averages 2.62 takedowns per 15 minutes, giving him a well-rounded game to complement his raw physical advantages.

When asked to imagine a hypothetical matchup between the two, Tsarukyan acknowledged the obvious — Aspinall would simply be too big — and delivered his punchline about needing a gun to have any hope.

Why it matters

• The quip highlights the vast physical gulf between lightweight and heavyweight, with Aspinall holding a 26-centimeter height advantage and a 15-centimeter reach edge over Tsarukyan.
• Tsarukyan is the top-ranked lightweight contender, meaning his name carries significant weight even in cross-divisional comparisons.
• Aspinall's pound-for-pound ranking underscores how seriously the broader MMA community views him as a threat to fighters well outside his own weight class.