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Arman Tsarukyan admits he may never get title shot if he loses UFC 331 bout against Mauricio Ruffy

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Arman Tsarukyan admits he may never get title shot if he loses UFC 331 bout against Mauricio Ruffy
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Arman Tsarukyan believes there is a big risk fighting Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331, and he's taking it as a good or die situation.

Tsarukyan and Ruffy are scheduled to collide on Sept. 19 in Los Angeles. “Batman's†team is under the belief that a lightweight title fight against Justin Gaethje will be granted with a win, but UFC CEO Dana White isn't committing to it just yet. While Tsarukyan thinks a win will bring him closer to the promised man, he feels a defeat could be disastrous.

In a video uploaded on his YouTube channel, Tsarukyan said a UFC title fight may never be in the cards for him if he can't get past Ruffy.

“I'm taking Mauricio Ruffy as an opponent for my title fight,†Tsarukyan said. “Every fight for me is important. I give all of myself in [my] training camp. “If I lose this fight, I'm never going to see a title fight. That's why I'm super motivated for this fight, super hungry. I've been working so hard for that moment.â€

While Tsarukyan has long been viewed as the rightful No. 1 contender, his removal from a planned championship fight with Islam Makhachev back in early 2025 led to a dicey relationship with the UFC brass. White also claimed that issues behind the scenes did “Batman†no favors. It appears Tsarukyan's efforts on social media and his willingness to take the Ruffy fight may have helped sway things in his favor.

If Tsarukyan can defeat Ruffy in convincing fashion, it would be difficult to deny him a title fight with Gaethje at some point in 2027. Gaethje is expected to remain sidelined for the rest of 2026 due to hand injuries. What transpires in the 155-pound division in the meanwhile will be interesting to watch.

Do you think Arman Tsarukyan is facing a must-win situation at UFC 331 against Mauricio Ruffy? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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MMA

Tommy McMillen says UFC rival was pleading for respect after war

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1 minute ago

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September 14, 2026

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Tommy McMillen says UFC rival was 'pleading for respect' after war
Tommy
McMillen didn't take his feud with Marwan
Rahiki personally.

McMillen (12-0) and Rahiki (9-0) appeared to have serious bad blood
heading into their recent clash in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship. The featherweight prospects
delivered a barnburner, going toe-to-toe in a back-and-forth
three-round bout to earn Fight of the Night honors. McMillen, who
won via unanimous decision at
Noche UFC 4, discussed the dynamic between the two after the
fight.

Tommy McMillen describes his post-fight exchange with Marwan
Rahiki at Noche UFC 4

Despite the heated build-up to the bout, Rahiki had nothing but
respect in the immediate aftermath of his first professional loss.
He and McMillen seemingly buried the hatchet after the fight as
they bumped fists and exchanged a few words.

McMillen claims Rahiki looked like he was pleading for a show of
mutual respect. “Gun†obliged, considering it was an exciting
fight. McMillen also explains that even though he beefs with his
opponents in the lead-up to his fights, he takes none of it
seriously.

“He was kind of looking at me, pleading for respect,†McMillen told
Full Send MMA. “I was just like, alright, like that was a pretty
cool fight… F*ck outta here, dude. Cause at the end of the day,
even though I'm talking sh*t to these guys, if you go watch back,
I'm smiling all the time. I'm a gangster, down to fight anybody.
It's all fun and games to me.â€

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MMA

Jean Silva reveals has no memory of loss to Diego Lopes at Noche UFC last year

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7 hours ago

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September 13, 2026

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Jean Silva reveals has no memory of loss to Diego Lopes at Noche UFC last year

Jean Silva can't remember anything about his first foray at Noche UFC.

Last year, Silva had the first headlining event of his UFC career when he took on Diego Lopes at Noche UFC. Unfortunately for Silva, things didn't go his way as he got brutally finished in a Fight of the Year contender.

This past Saturday, Silva got some form of redemption, stopping Jose Miguel Delgado in the main event of Noche UFC in Glendale, Arizona. It was an important win for Silva, not just because of where it puts him in the featherweight division, but also because he had no recollection of his first UFC main event.

“Now I can open up and tell you what happened, because throughout this year, and throughout camp, and throughout fight week, even before the fight, as fight week progressed, I couldn't find myself to say this to my teammate,†Silva said through the translator at the Noche UFC post-fight press conference. “I actually pulled them aside in a corner before the fight tonight and told them, I don't have any memories of what happened at Noche UFC last year. It did take something away from me, and those were the memories.

“I told to people that it's sad, because I wanted the have the memory of my first main event, and I do not have any of that. I know that in world history, the books are going to say this was my second main event, but to me, it was the first. So I'm very happy that tonight I was able to make good memories, and I will remember.

“I know that we do things for the reward, for the victory, for history, but we also want to be able to tell stories. We want to be able to tell our kids, we want to be able to tell our friends, to share the experience, to say, first-person perspective, ‘I was there, and I did this, and I was part of that.' And unfortunately on that night I did not have that, and I have no memories of that day.â€

Silva certainly has much to remember from this Noche UFC. Not only did “Lord†win another Performance of the Night bonus, but the win put him right back in the title mix at 145 pounds, and could lead to another big fight, possibly a title eliminator bout against former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, who called for just that after Silva's win at UFC 334 in Madison Square Garden in November.

“As we like to say in Brazil, it's talk me up, talk me down, talk shit, hype me up, but talk about me,†Silva said about Sterling's comments. “Go ahead.â€

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MMA

Conor McGregor criticizes Max Holloway for showing mercy in UFC 329 disaster: "Finish the f*cking fight"

Published

8 hours ago

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September 13, 2026

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Conor McGregor criticizes Max Holloway for showing mercy in UFC 329 disaster: "Finish the f*cking fight"
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Conor McGregor has taken issue with Max Holloway's mid-fight reaction to a disastrous ACL injury during the short-lived UFC 329 headliner.

McGregor's hopes to showcase what he's been working on during his four-year layoff were dashed back in July. The “Notorious†one landed awkwardly on his leg off a jumping kick attempt. While McGregor tried to fight through the injury, Holloway motioned to referee Mike Beltran that something went awry.

Ultimately, it was clear that McGregor was compromised, and the fight was called off just over one minute in. In a video posted on the MAC Energy YouTube channel, McGregor told Robert O'Neill that he thinks Holloway's killer instinct should've kicked in (h/t MMAFighting).

“I'll tell you what, it wasn't me that was calling for the finish of the fight,†McGregor said. “It wasn't me calling to finish it. If I fight you and you look for the ref, ‘Ref! Stop the fight!' Who stops the fight? Don't stop! Finish the f*cking fight! You're the man calling for the fight to be stopped. The fight's only began.â€

McGregor doubled down on his goal of pulling off the greatest comeback in MMA history when he's ready to get back inside the Octagon.

“It's all good. It's all good. We do our work, we stay on the track, and we get retribution. …

“I yearn for retribution,†McGregor continued. “It drives me on. I have this journey. I have this task ahead of me. I have the title of the greatest comeback in sports history.â€

McGregor is expected to be sidelined until at least summer 2027. “Mystic Mac's†next bout is set to be the final fight on his UFC deal. The top Irish star has said he wishes to continue doing business with UFC, which has been his combat sports home since 2013.

If UFC's plan is to eventually book a rematch between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway, who would you match “Blessed†up against in the meantime? Chime in with your take in the comments below.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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