MMA
Arman Tsarukyan in do-or-die situation at UFC 331: ‘If I lose this fight, I’m never going to see a title fight’
Published
1 month agoon
Arman Tsarukyan was set up for a lightweight title shot back in January 2025 but a last minute back injury knocked him out of his fight against Islam Makhachev and he's never been afforded another shot at the belt as a result.
Now almost two years later, Tsarukyan is still the No. 1 contender at 155 pounds but instead of competing for gold at UFC 331, he's taking on Mauricio Ruffy in a fight that could potentially earn him that title fight opportunity. By all accounts, Tsarukyan has accepted his punishment for the injury that forced a last-minute change to a major card but he also believes it's win or go home on Sept. 19 if he ever hopes to compete for UFC gold.
“I'm taking Mauricio Ruffy as an opponent for my title fight,†Tsarukyan said on his YouTube channel. “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€
Heading into UFC 331, Tsarukyan is heavily favored to win thanks to his dominant grappling game and suffocating wrestling attacks while going up against a fighter like Ruffy, who almost exclusively prefers to stand and strike with his opponents.
But Tsarukyan is no fool and he won't get drawn into a game where he's so determined to drag this fight to the ground and Ruffy suddenly finds an opening for one of his knockout strikes.
“I never underestimate him, especially his striking,†Tsarukyan said. “I've got to be so smart during the fight because he has a good punch, so he's knocked out a lot of people.
“Now it's my time. I have a good game plan. It's going to work very well. I'm not saying it's going to be an easy fight. It's going to be a hard fight but I get the victory.â€
Tsarukyan vs. Ruffy serves as the co-main event at UFC 331 on Sept. 19 with flyweight champion Joshua Van defending his belt agains former champion Alexandre Pantoja in the five-round main event.
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MMA
Movsar Evloev warns Alexander Volkanovski: He hasnt beaten anyone like me
Published
15 hours agoon
October 23, 2026
Evloev says he has pushed himself harder than ever ahead of his
first UFC title shot.
Evloev (20-0) is scheduled to challenge Alexander
Volkanovski (28-4) for the
Ultimate Fighting Championship featherweight title at
UFC 333 on Oct. 24 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Ahead of the
bout, the unbeaten Russian discussed how his preparations have
differed from previous training camps.
Movsar Evloev details toughest training camp ahead of Alexander
Volkanovski title fight at UFC 333
Evloev said he increased his workload across all aspects of
training to address any potential weaknesses. He believes that
preparation will help him showcase his abilities in Saturday's main
event.
“This preparation is different just because I pushed more than
ever,†Evloev said in a pre-fight interview. “And we did more of
everything to make sure we didn't miss anything. He hasn't beaten
anyone like me. There's many things that make me special, like
unique. And I'm about to show it Saturday.â€
Evloev has long been considered a leading featherweight contender,
with Volkanovski acknowledging him as the most deserving
challenger. However, Diego Lopes
received a title rematch against Volkanovski earlier this year
before Evloev earned his opportunity. The Russian's lack of UFC
finishes has fueled debate about his wait for a championship bout,
though the promotion has not established it as the reason for the
delay.
“This is the moment I’ve been waiting for.”
Movsar
Evloev (@MovsarUFC) discusses his journey to the title shot and
his title fight matchup against champ Alexander
Volkanovski @VisitAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | #InAbuDhabi |
@ParamountPlus https://t.co/fWuJJ7I2sz— UFC News (@UFCNews)
October 21, 2026
MMA
Joshua Van: Sean Strickland ‘in a bad spot’ in Dana White feud over UFC pay
Published
16 hours agoon
October 23, 2026
Joshua Van sides with UFC boss Dana White in his public feud with Sean Strickland.
For Van, the UFC's flyweight champion, the matter should have been discussed behind closed doors instead of a public forum like social media.
“He just signed a contract in May and fought Khamzat, and then he won,†Van told Outta Pocket. “Instead of going on Twitter and going on all that [expletive], he should have talked to Dana and said, ‘I wanna renegotiate.' Behind closed doors. Then the boss would have been like, ‘OK, let's talk about this, what you want?' You just beat the boogeyman. Now it's a whole mess.â€
“If you work at a 9-to-5 job and you go off to your boss and you're like, pay me this much. Like, what the [expletive]? You know what I mean? So he's in a bad spot right now. He's still under the contract. I don't know how that's gonna work.â€
A 25-year-old flyweight champion who started his professional MMA career when Strickland already had 14 UFC bouts under his belt, Van agrees with Strickland that fighters should get paid more.
However, he doesn't sound unhappy with his current UFC contract. Van recently defended his 125-pound belt with a decision over Alexandre Pantoja, his third title bout win in a span of 10 months, including a fifth-round TKO over Tatsuro Taira in the co-main event of Chimaev vs. Strickland.
“I'm getting paid good,†Van said with a laugh. “I think they pay me good amount; I don't know, but fighter that think they deserve more or—like, should we get paid more? Yes, but, I don't know, I'm happy where I'm at. I start from zero to now, the UFC literally made me where I'm at, gave me everything that I got right now. I don't know, I'm happy right now. I can't really say for the other guy.â€
MMA
UFC 333 prop odds: Krylov-Yakhyaev favored for fastest finish
Published
1 day agoon
October 22, 2026
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