Arman Tsarukyan to grapple in Moscow as title plans unsettled

Arman Tsarukyan has booked a September 19 grappling appearance in Moscow as the UFC lightweight picture remains unsettled and increasingly public. The Armenian-born contender will compete at ACBJJ 18 while debate rages over who should challenge Ilia Topuria for the 155 pound title and when the champion will return to defend it.

Tsarukyan, who defeated Charles Oliveira in what many viewed as a title-eliminator bout, has kept active since withdrawing from a scheduled title fight earlier this year. He pulled out of the UFC 311 main event against Islam Makhachev at the last minute citing a back and weight-cutting issue but later served as the backup for the UFC 317 title fight and made weight, a fact his supporters point to as justification for a shot at the belt. Outside the Octagon he has added wins in grappling and alternative combat formats, most recently submitting Patricky Pitbull under the ADXC banner.

The lines of debate sharpened after Khabib Nurmagomedov publicly named Tsarukyan the division’s best and predicted an 80-20 edge for him over Topuria. Nurmagomedov told an interviewer he did not “see Topuria having a chance,” praising Tsarukyan’s wrestling, pressure and...