MMA
Arman Tsarukyan vs. Charles Oliveira 2 cancelled as Tsarukyan set for new UFC 331 fight
Published
3 months agoon
Credit: Mike Roach/Zuffa LLCArman Tsarukyan will face a new rival in the UFC 331 co-main event as the promotion pivots away from a Charles Oliveira rematch.
UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan will have to wait a bit longer for a potential lightweight title shot.
Tsarukyan, who hasn't fought since submitting Dan Hooker last year at UFC Qatar, was rumored to fight BMF titleholder Charles Oliveira at UFC 331 next month. Tsarukyan defeated Oliveira in a closely contested matchup at UFC 300 earlier in their careers.
After his short-notice withdrawal from his fight against then-UFC lightweight champ Islam Makhachev at UFC 311, Tsarukyan's path back to the title has hit multiple delays. In recent weeks, it was reported by multiple outlets that the UFC was working on a rematch between Tsarukyan and Oliveira at UFC 331.
But after the UFC's recent fight card announcement, Tsarukyan will fight a new name in the UFC 331 five-round co-main event.
Arman Tsarukyan booked for five-rounder vs. streaking contender in new UFC 331 matchup
The UFC announced on Wednesday that Tsarukyan will face surging lightweight Mauricio Ruffy (14-2-0) at UFC 331 next month in Los Angeles. The fight will be contested over five rounds, with a likely title shot on the line for the winner.
Ruffy returns to the Octagon after back-to-back knockouts against Rafael Fiziev and Michael Chandler earlier this year. The Dana White's Contender Series standout is 5-1 in his UFC tenure, with the lone misstep coming against Benoit Saint-Denis in September.
Tsarukyan enters UFC 331 on a five-fight winning streak since a unanimous decision loss to Mateusz Gamrot in June 2022. He's earned knockouts of Beneil Dariush and Joaquim Silva during his current streak.
UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje will likely keep a keen eye on the UFC 331 co-main event. After defeating Ilia Topuria at the White House, Gaethje's return date and opponent remain uncertain.
UFC 331 is headlined by a flyweight title rematch between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja at the Intuit Dome.
What is your prediction for Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
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Alex Pereira says Josh Hokit would be much easier fight than Sergei Pavlovich
Published
14 hours agoon
October 25, 2026
Pereira has explained his frustration with the
Ultimate Fighting Championship's heavyweight matchmaking.
Pereira (13-4) is scheduled to face Sergei
Pavlovich (21-3) at UFC
335 on Dec. 12 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Meanwhile,
Josh
Hokit (10-0) will face Ciryl Gane
(14-2) for the heavyweight title at UFC
334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Pereira said he initially expected either a rematch with Gane or a
grudge match against Hokit, but he sees the Pavlovich booking as a
favorable stylistic matchup.
Alex Pereira explains UFC matchmaking frustration and why
Sergei Pavlovich is more dangerous than Josh Hokit
Pereira lost his UFC heavyweight debut to Gane by technical
knockout in an interim title bout at
UFC Freedom 250. After Tom
Aspinall relinquished the undisputed championship, Pereira said
the promotion discussed a title rematch with Gane or a fight
against Hokit, who has repeatedly criticized “Poatan.â€
Pereira considers Hokit an easier opponent than Pavlovich.
Nevertheless, he said a conversation with UFC executive Hunter
Campbell resolved his frustration, and he now looks forward to the
December bout.
“What got me more upset at that time was because they told me that
I was possibly going to fight Gane for the belt or fight Hokit,â€
Pereira told Ariel Helwani. “And then none of that happened. Coming
from a loss, fighting Hokit would be much, much easier for me than
fighting Pavlovich, who’s supposed to be a harder fight. Hokit
would be a much easier fight for me. We got together [with Hunter
Campbell], we talked, we straightened things out, so it was fine.
Pavlovich is a little more dangerous opponent, but looking at it in
a technical way today, I see that it’s actually also a very good
fight for me.â€
Alex
Pereira reveals what upset him about the UFC’s decision not to
book him against Ciryl Gane
or Josh
Hokit: “What got me more upset at that time was because they
told me that I was possibly going to fight Gane for the belt or
fight Hokit. And then none of that happened. Coming from a loss,
fighting Hokit would be much, much easier for me than fighting
Pavlovich, who’s supposed to be a harder fight. Hokit would be a
much easier fight for me. We got together [with Hunter Campbell],
we talked, we straightened things out, so it was fine. Pavlovich is
a little more dangerous opponent, but looking at it in a technical
way today, I see that it’s actually also a very good fight for
me.â€â€” Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani)
October 21, 2026
MMA
Islam Makhachev reveals why he turned down January fight with Carlos Prates
Published
15 hours agoon
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Islam Makhachev has spoken up about why he's not fighting Carlos Prates in January.
For the last few weeks, the MMA world has been flooded with rumors that Makhachev would defend his welterweight title against Prates at UFC 336 in January; however, on Saturday, the UFC announced that those rumors are untrue. Instead, Prates will take on Michael Morales for an interim welterweight title at UFC 336, with the winner unifying against Makhachev sometime next year.
“Prates and Morales will fight, determine who a true worthy contender, and I will fight [the winner]. They will [fight] among themselves. …
“They offered me a fight with Prates, who recently lost to a [Ian Machado Garry] who I beat. If I beat him, Morales would already be next in line, who's not fighting and waiting for [a title shot]. Just let them fight and we will figure out who is the real challenger.â€
Ramadan begins on Feb. 7 and concludes on March 8 in 2027, meaning it is unlikely we will see Makhachev again until next summer.
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