UFC Confirms Arman Tsarukyan's Next Fight Date

The UFC has officially announced the next fight for Arman Tsarukyan, the number two contender in the lightweight division. Representing Armenia, Tsarukyan will face Brazilian Mauricio Rua instead of his compatriot Charles Oliveira. This top lightweight showdown will take place on September 19 at the UFC 331 event in Los Angeles, California.

The match between Tsarukyan and Rua has been confirmed as the co-main event of the numbered card. The 29-year-old Tsarukyan currently boasts a five-fight winning streak. In mixed martial arts (MMA), he has participated in 26 bouts, securing 23 victories (15 of which were won by stoppage) and suffering 3 losses.

A master of freestyle wrestling and MMA, Tsarukyan made his professional debut in September 2015 and has been competing in the UFC since April 2019. In his last fight, which took place in November of last year, he secured a victory via submission against New Zealander Dan Hooker in the second round.

The 30-year-old Mauricio Rua experienced his first loss in the organization last September, where he succumbed to a choke hold by Frenchman Benoit Saint-Denis. Following that bout, the Brazilian achieved two early stoppage victories, knocking out Azerbaijani Rafael Fiziev and American Michael Chandler.

Currently, Tsarukyan and Rua hold the second and tenth positions, respectively, in the UFC's lightweight rankings, while they are ranked second and seventh on the press’s list of top fighters.