Arman Tsarukyan: 'Nobody in lightweight division can beat me right now'

Rising lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan has declared himself the most dangerous fighter in the division and expressed supreme confidence he can defeat both current champion Justin Gaethje and former titleholder Ilia Topuria.

Following Gaethje's shocking upset victory over Topuria (17-1) at UFC White House, Tsarukyan (23-3) is positioning himself as the next challenger. Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show, Tsarukyan stated he wants to face Gaethje and that if he becomes champion before Topuria recovers, he would be willing to inflict an even worse beating than the one Gaethje delivered. Tsarukyan's confidence stems partly from the departure of Islam Makhachev, who moved up to welterweight after establishing himself as the division's toughest competitor.

Tsarukyan has had a complicated path to a title shot despite being considered by many as the most deserving contender. He suffered a decision loss to Makhachev in his 2019 UFC debut and was scheduled for a rematch title fight last year, but withdrew due to injury just one day before the bout. That withdrawal effectively sidelined him from the title picture. Now, with the lightweight landscape dramatically reshuffled following Gaethje's victory, Tsarukyan believes the division is his to conquer.