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Arman Tsarukyan agrees to Paddy Pimblett UFC fight on one condition

Arman Tsarukyan responded to the England-native about a possible fight.

Zain Bando

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Arman Tsarukyan is itching to get back in the Octagon after suffering back spasms in the days leading up to his originally-scheduled UFC Lightweight Championship fight with Islam Makhachev.

Tsarukyan's Return Timeline Teased

Now a couple months removed from the ordeal, Tsarukyan has his sights set on an undefeated (in the UFC) rising contender in Paddy Pimblett as a future opponent.

Tsarukyan has made his next fight intentions clea
Apr 13, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Arman Tsarukyan during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Tsarukyan discussed this possibility during a new interview with Red Corner MMA when asked about Pimblett as an opponent.

"He looked pretty good in his last fight,” Tsarukyan said. “Now we can say he can beat Top-10 fighters. He’s No. 8 or something."

If Tsarukyan were to fight Pimblett, though, there is a caveat attached: as soon as possible is better than not at all.

READ MORE: 20-year-old Road to UFC phenom brutalizes undefeated fighter with 37-second KO

Paddy Pimblett Ripped Arman Tsarukyan For Botching UFC 311

“Maybe he wants to fight at the end of this year, but I want to fight this summer and the end of this year,” Tsarukyan said. “I’ll take [this summer] that because he has a big name, he just beat Michael Chandler, and he has a six or seven [fight] win streak. He’s never lost in the UFC. It makes sense to get back and to get more fans from the UK.”

Pimblett called out the No. 1 contender after the Makhachev cancellation
Apr 12, 2025; Miami, Florida, UNITED STATES; Paddy Pimblett (blue gloves) fights against Michael Chandler (not pictured) during UFC 314 at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Meanwhile, Pimblett was less than thrilled with the way Tsarukyan handled himself as his title shot fell apart.

"Dana shot him down in that interview. I was like, 'Whoa, that's heavy,'" Pimblett said on the Full Send Podcast. "You don't want the boss saying that about you, because he got asked 'Is Arman still No. 1?' and he was like, 'No, he's going to have to go back to the drawing board.' ... He decided he's not going to fight. So basically, Arman, you sh*t your pants. You farted and followed through and had sh*t coming down your leg."

READ MORE: Sean O’Malley spars with another ex-UFC champion ahead of Merab Dvalishvili rematch

Whether Tsarukyan takes a considerable amount of time to return remains to be seen. But, at the very least, his intentions are clear.

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Zain Bando
ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99

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