What the Future Looks Like for ‘Alhakalakets’ in the UFC Lightweight Division
UFC’s current second-ranked Lightweight Division contender, Arman Tsarukyan, has had an interesting journey thus far when trying to earn his title shot. ‘Alhakalakets’ was originally supposed to fight Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 in January 2025 for the belt. However, he shockingly pulled out of the fight at the last minute due to a back injury. Renato Moicano was the backup fighter to replace Tsarukyan, but he was submitted early on by Makhachev in Round One, leaving many to wonder how Tsarukyan would have fared against the Lightweight Champion at the time. Since then, the Armenian fighter has received a lot of negative feedback from UFC fans and personnel, not only due to his title fight departure but also his tendency to stir up controversy, which has hindered his hopes of receiving another shot at the belt.
Back at the infamous UFC 300, Tsarukyan threw a punch at a fan in the crowd during his walkout as the fan had directed a middle finger towards the fighter. After he defeated Charles Oliveira by split decision that night, the Armenian fighter was served a suspension and a fine for the punch. Later on, before his most recent fight, the controversial fighter also headbutted Dan Hooker during their faceoff back in December 2025. Most recently, to put the icing on the cake, ‘Alhakalakets’ caused a big brawl at a RAF wrestling event separate from the UFC. As a result of these incidents, Dana White has said he has not been happy with the Lightweight Division fighter, which could be why Tsarukyan was not considered for an interim title fight back in January 2026, with the card instead being headlined by Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett.
It was just announced that Gaethje would fight Ilia Topuria, whom Tsarukyan has had heated exchanges with, at the White House this summer for the real Lightweight title. This leaves ‘Alhakalakets’ with a few possibilities. First, he could be next in line to fight for the belt after the White House main event, fighting either Topuria, Gaethje, or even Oliveira, depending on whether Topuria wins his fight and moves up to Welterweight to chase after Makhachev. The next possibility would be a rematch against Oliveira, almost guaranteeing the winner of the next Lightweight title fight. However, there’s a chance none of these come to fruition, given that the Armenian fighter is currently doing side quests and is not in good spirits with the UFC. However, due to the excitement Tsarukyan brings, fans can only hope that he comes back soon enough.
