UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria turned the heat back up on Arman Tsarukyan this week, calling the Armenian contender a “man child” and accusing him of “playing the rich guy game,” per AOL. The shot adds fresh tension to a title picture in which Tsarukyan is still the top-ranked challenger at 155 pounds after his November win over Dan Hooker.
Topuria’s comments, reported by AOL on Sunday, target what the champion frames as Tsarukyan’s posturing outside the cage. The Spanish-Georgian fighter didn’t announce a date or a booking. The UFC has confirmed nothing on the matchmaking side either.
Tsarukyan hasn’t fired back publicly yet, and the promotion has issued no release tying the two fighters to a card. The back-and-forth caps months of friction between the camps over who deserves the next shot at the lightweight belt Topuria took after moving up from featherweight.
Where Tsarukyan stands
Tsarukyan, 29, returned on November 22, 2025, submitting Dan Hooker in the second round of a UFC Fight Night main event — his first outing back after pulling out earlier in the year. The win pushed his record to 23-3 and put him back at the front of the line. He’s won five straight, with prior wins over Charles Oliveira (split decision at UFC 300) and a first-round TKO of Beneil Dariush in December 2023.
The outside praise keeps coming, too. Two-time Olympic wrestling champion Abdulrashid Sadulaev spoke recently about Tsarukyan’s grappling base in an interview on the DeepWaters MMA channel.
What’s next
Topuria-Tsarukyan is the obvious next fight at 155, but no date, venue, or card slot has been confirmed by the UFC. Promotional teasers referenced in the AOL piece point to a White House card and a “UFC Freedom 250” fan fest, though neither has been formally tied to a lightweight title fight.
Until the UFC puts something on paper, this stays at the press-cycle stage. Five straight wins and the top contender ranking — Tsarukyan is the only credible name to face Topuria next. Terms and date, still unknown.
