Tsarukyan Says Topuria Needs a Chandler Tune-Up Before Title Return

Arman Tsarukyan has a plan for Ilia Topuria's comeback, and it doesn't involve throwing the ex-champ straight back into the deep end. Speaking on a UFC on Paramount+ interview, the No. 2-ranked lightweight (23-3, 9 KO, 6 SUB) suggested Topuria should take a tune-up against Michael Chandler before circling back to the belt. His reasoning is blunt: after a loss like that, Topuria needs an easy one first.

The context matters. Topuria walked into UFC White House this past June carrying a 17-0 record and one of the cleanest resumes in the sport, but Justin Gaethje handed him his first pro defeat in a stunning upset. Topuria left with facial injuries and no clear return timetable, and the division hasn't waited around for him.

The Run That Ended

Before Gaethje, Topuria's ledger read like a highlight reel. He knocked out Charles Oliveira, Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski in back-to-back-to-back title fights, the last two coming at featherweight. That's the kind of streak that usually earns you a direct rematch, not a tune-up. Tsarukyan clearly disagrees, framing Chandler as the logical soft landing.

What's Actually Next

While Topuria heals, the 155-pound picture keeps moving without him. Tsarukyan meets Mauricio Ruffy in a five-round co-main event at UFC 331 in Los Angeles on Sept. 19, and the assumption is the winner challenges Gaethje for the vacant strap. Tsarukyan isn't treating anything as guaranteed, but he made his standing plain when asked about the stakes: he's already the No. 1 contender in his own mind, and he's not letting go of the spot.

There's history here, too. Tsarukyan and Topuria have been trading shots for years, and now that both live at lightweight, a grudge match carries obvious box-office weight. Tsarukyan rattled off the names he sees at the top — himself, Oliveira, Paddy Pimblett, Topuria, and a Holloway he called genuinely tough. His stance is simple: beat Ruffy, win the title, then pick whoever he wants.

It's a confident read from a guy coming off a second-round arm-triangle finish of Dan Hooker. Whether the UFC agrees that Topuria deserves a step-back fight rather than an immediate shot is another question entirely — and one Tsarukyan can't answer for them.