Tsarukyan believes he has earned No. 1 contender status after submitting Dan Hooker in the main event of their UFC Qatar fight. Tsarukyan has insisted that Topuria avoid him. “El Matador” has been fighting Pimblett for years, but the general consensus is that Tsarukyan is the most deserving contender at 155 pounds.
During an interview with Álvaro Colmenero, Topuria said his sights were set on “The Baddy” (h/t Championship Rounds).
“I’m thinking of Paddy,” Topuria said. “I would like to fight Paddy if they don’t let me move up to welterweight to fight Islam because the fight I would really like is against Islam in the third weight division.”
Topuria’s comments did not sit well with Tsarukyan, who blasted the lightweight champion in a new post X account.
Can it be any more obvious that El Pato is doing everything he can to avoid fighting me? https://t.co/200p7ahsLX
—Arman Tsarukyan Ufc (@armanufc) November 25, 2025
“Can it be any more obvious that El Pato is doing everything he can to avoid fighting me?”
Tsarukyan is 10-1 in his last eleven games. In that process he has defeated Hooker, Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush, among others. The only loss in that stretch was a unanimous decision defeat to Mateusz Gamrot in 2022.
As for Topuria, he is undefeated in his professional MMA career so far. He defeated Charles Oliveira in the first round in June to capture the UFC Lightweight Championship. He also knocked out Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway during his time as a featherweight, where he also won UFC gold.
Only time will tell what the UFC matchmakers decide to do for the next lightweight title fight. Ariel Helwani learns that Topuria is not currently involved in plans for the UFC’s debut event on Paramount+. BJPenn.com will keep you updated on the UFC lightweight title picture.
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