Tsarukyan extended his win streak to six straight and further
solidified his No.1 contender status at UFC
331 in Los Angeles with a first-round knockout win over
Mauricio
Ruffy. White praised the top-ranked lightweight at the
post-fight presser, lauding his Octagon return.

Arman Tsarukyan's knockout of Mauricio Ruffy earns major praise
from the UFC CEO

Tensions between Tsarukyan and White sparked after the former
pulled out of his lightweight title fight against Islam
Makhachev the night before weigh-ins. He later drew more
criticism from the UFC CEO for scuffles with fans and other
fighters.

White acknowledged that Tsarukyan's relationship with the UFC had
soured amidst the aforementioned events, but “The Batman†has
turned his standing with the company around.

“I've been vocal that I wasn't crazy about some of the stuff that
he'd done,†White said. “But you know what, when you f*ck up, then
you come back and you do everything the right way. I mean, he
couldn't have had a better comeback after, you know, the things
that he had done that I wasn't thrilled about.â€

White admitted that he initially believed the fight was heading in
Ruffy's favor before the elbow knockout, which earned Performance
of the Night honors.

“And then to go in and perform the way that he performed tonight,â€
White added. “At the end of that round, I was like, oh sh*t, man,
he's in for a rough night. And then boom, the elbow.
Incredible.â€

Ultimate Fighting Championship contract.

Costa has one fight left on his current deal and has been accusing
the UFC of stalling his last matchup. “Borrachinha†claims the last
bout on his contract should be a three-rounder, but reiterated that
he's willing to accept a five-rounder if he's compensated
accordingly.

Paulo Costa says UFC can book his final fight, raise his pay or
release him

Costa took to social media to lay out his and the UFC's options for
his last fight. He called out promotional exec Hunter Campbell,
claiming that he's willing to fight any light heavyweight on the
roster in a three-rounder and that he'll gladly accept a five-round
bout if given at least six weeks' notice and additional pay.

“OK, I'm making this public and clear: I have 1 fight left,†Costa
wrote on X. “On my contract, the purse is set for 3 rounds, not 5.
I'm asking for the 3-round fight that was already agreed on
contract. It can be anyone on the UFC LHW roster. I think Hunter
has 3 options now: A) Give me that last 3-round fight (I'll take
any opponent). B) Give me a 5-round fight at LHW against anyone in
6 weeks. I'll take it, BUT raise my purse accordingly. That's the
minimum that's fair, right? C) Release me from my contract now.
Simple and clean. I hope everyone understands. 9-18-26 Las Vegas,
Nevada Sincerely, Paulo Costa.â€

Costa (16-4) is coming off back-to-back finishes against Roman
Kopylov and Azamat
Murzakanov. He previously campaigned for an interim title fight
for UFC
332, but later revealed the promotion wasn't interested.

Gaethje (28-5) recently heaped praise on former foe Ilia
Topuria (17-1). The
Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight titleholder gave the
former two-division champ a lesson in humility with a brutal
beating at
UFC Freedom 250 at the White House this past June. He believes
“El Matador†will be extremely dangerous on his Octagon return.

Gaethje still considers Topuria one of the UFC's best after
handing him his first loss

Gaethje won the undisputed UFC lightweight title in a huge upset as
Topuria's corner called for a stoppage at the end of the fourth
round. “The Highlight†believes Topuria will dominate his next
opponent as he looks to rebound from his first professional
loss.

While Gaethje and Topuria have exchanged trash talk, the former has
never doubted the latter's skill set. Gaethje still considers
Topuria one of the best fighters in the world and wants to see him
thrive.

“Whoever fights [Topuria] next is gonna be f*cked,†Gaethje said on
the “Double Coverage†podcast. “If he forgets how dangerous this
sport is, how there is a little bit of luck and chance and makes
mistakes, he is not going to be at his best or locked in as he
should be. But outside of that, without those mental mistakes, he
is one of the best in the world. There's no doubt about it.
Everything I say, I'm never talking sh*t about the guy because he
is so good. I want to see him come back. I want to see him thrive;
I want to see him prosper.â€

There are rumblings of a rematch between Topuria and Gaethje being
in the works. However, Arman
Tsarukyan further solidified his status as the No.1 contender
and bolstered his case for a long-overdue title shot with a
first-round knockout win over Mauricio
Ruffy at UFC
331 on Sept. 19.