Arman Tsarukyan: UFC guaranteed title shot with win over Mauricio Ruffy

Arman Tsarukyan was originally preparing for a different opponent before Mauricio Ruffy stepped up.

Tsarukyan recently revealed how his matchup with Ruffy came together during an appearance on the “Deep Waters” podcast. According to the lightweight contender, he had already agreed to face former Ultimate Fighting Championship titleholder Charles Oliveira in a rematch and had begun his training camp in Armenia when he was informed of the change.

Tsarukyan says Charles Oliveira was originally lined up for a UFC 331 rematch
Tsarukyan explained that the tragic death of Oliveira’s teammate, Allan Nascimento, prompted the change of opponent for the UFC 331 co-headliner.

“I said yes, versus Oliveira,” Tsarukyan said. “I said yes and then I started my training camp in Armenia. And then Oliveira’s friend died and then they said, we’re looking for the new one. Then Ruffy came up and I said, yeah. Because already in the camp and I need one fight, because this year I haven’t fought, so I said, it’s a good fight for me, so I took that fight.”

Tsarukyan also claimed that the UFC confirmed to him that a win over Ruffy guarantees a title shot.

“After this, for sure I’m fighting for the title,” Tsarukyan added.

Notably, Tsarukyan previously claimed that Oliveira used the death of his teammate as an excuse to withdraw from the bout.

Arman Tsarukyan walks us through how his upoming fight with Mauricio Ruffy at #UFC331 came about!

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