Arman Tsarukyan remains singularly focused on reaching the pinnacle of the UFC, even as questions linger about his activity level inside the Octagon over the past two years.
Tsarukyan (23-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) has competed just once in the promotion during that span. His most recent appearance came at UFC Qatar last November, where he secured a submission victory over Dan Hooker. Despite that success, his momentum toward a title shot remains in doubt after he withdrew from a scheduled lightweight championship bout against then-titleholder Islam Makhachev in January of last year due to a back injury.
While his UFC appearances have been limited, Tsarukyan has remained highly active in combat sports. Over the same period, he has competed ten times across various submission grappling and freestyle wrestling events, staying sharp and continuing to evolve his skill set.
Most recently, Tsarukyan added another notable win to his résumé by defeating UFC and WEC veteran Urijah Faber at RAF 8. Following that victory, he spoke on The Ariel Helwani Show, where he made it clear that his ambitions in the UFC remain unchanged.
“I wake up with the (thought of when) I'm going to get my next fight and go to bed thinking about UFC as well,” Tsarukyan said. “The UFC motivates me more than everything in this life right now. I just don't want to be just a champion, I want to be the best UFC fighter, pound-for-pound fighter.”
Tsarukyan believes he still has ample time to accomplish his goals, even without having fought for a UFC title yet.
“I mean, I'm 29, so I got seven years,” he said. “For seven years, you can make a bunch of money. A lot of belts. And then retired.”
Looking beyond his fighting career, Tsarukyan has already begun considering what life after MMA might entail.
“Yeah, eight years,” he added regarding his timeline. “At 37, it's a good time to go and start to do a WWE. Or a movie.”
