Arman Tsarukyan declares himself No. 1 lightweight contender following UFC Freedom 250: “It has to be me”

Arman Tsarukyan believes he is the clear-cut No. 1 contender for the lightweight title following UFC Freedom 250.

This past Sunday, Ilia Topuria looked to continue his unbeaten streak, while Justin Gaethje had plans of winning undisputed UFC gold for the first time in his career. It was Gaethje who ended up getting his way, battering Topuria’s face to force a corner stoppage before the fifth round began.

Tsarukyan has been waiting in the wings for quite a while at the top of the 155-pound ladder. Appearing on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Tsarukyan said he thinks it’s obvious that he should be fighting for the UFC Lightweight Championship next (via MMAJunkie).

“It has to be me. Who else?” Tsarukyan said. “What are they going to do? They’re going to put Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje or Conor McGregor, if he wins, and I don’t think he wins versus Max Holloway? It’s me. I want to beat Justin Gaethje. I want to beat everybody, and when Ilia is going to be ready, I want to be the champion, and I’ll do same as Justin did and even worse.”

Tsarukyan couldn’t watch Gaethje’s win over Topuria live as he was on a plane that didn’t have Wi-Fi access. When he eventually got to see what transpired, he assessed what went wrong for Topuria.

“He felt so confident like, ‘I’m going in there to knock him out,'” Tsarukyan said. “He didn’t even use his jab. He just went in there to throw his right hand and knock him out right away. But Justin, he’s a dog. He’s got a good chin, and he stopped him with his jab. Justin’s jab was so good. Ilia thinks he’s Canelo and he has the best boxing, but it didn’t work. Justin did a good job.”

Tsarukyan is riding a five-fight winning streak and he’s gone 10-1 in his last 11 outings. He’s beaten the likes of Charles Oliveira, who is the current BMF titleholder. Many believe “Akhalkalakets” has been due for a title shot, which he once had in early 2025 but he couldn’t make it to the weigh-ins due to an injury.

Is it finally time for Arman Tsarukyan to compete for UFC gold? Sound off in the comments below.