Less than ten days remain before Arman Tsarukyan faces Mauricio Ruffy in a high-stakes matchup. As the co-main event at UFC 331 on September 19, the fight, Tsarukyan believes, would move him closer to the lightweight title that has eluded him since he made his UFC debut six years ago.

Some believe Tsarukyan receiving a title shot is a long-overdue recognition. Yet, for all the excitement, not everyone is buying into the hype. A few, like champion Justin Gaethje, think instances from the past starkly contradict the Armenian’s claim to the title.

“He’s also been doing so much to not fight for the title,” Gaethje insisted during his appearance on Demetrius Johnson’s Mighty podcast.

That skepticism comes after comments Tsarukyan recently made on the Deep Waters podcast. The lightweight contender claimed that he was originally lined up to face former opponent Charles Oliveira at UFC 331, set to take place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles next week.

However, plans changed after the former champion pulled out following the tragic death of team member Allan Nascimento. His place was given to Ruffy, who comes off a statement win over Michael Chandler at the Freedom 250 card.

According to Tsarukyan, should he beat Ruffy, the UFC has told him that he will be the next in line to take a shot at Gaethje’s belt.

So, to make his case, Gaethje, who became a title holder after knocking out Ilia Topuria at the White House, brought up an incident from the past.

“He was going to fight Islam Makhachev for the belt, and he dropped out the night before,” Gaethje added.

Those remarks refer to a rematch that was scheduled between Tsarukyan and Islam Makhachev on January 18 of last year. The Armenian, who had previously dropped a decision to the Dagestani on his UFC debut, was coming off a tightly contested win over Charles Oliveira in a title eliminator.

But Tsarukyan withdrew from the headlining bout at UFC 311 after he suffered a back injury during a sparring session. As a result, the UFC replaced him with Renato Moicano. Makhachev went on to defend his title with a record-breaking performance.

Tsarukyan, meanwhile, did not return to the cage till November 22, 2025, when he faced Dan Hooker on a Fight Night.

Despite all the time that has elapsed since UFC 311 and the changes that have reshaped the 155-pound weight class, Gaethje views the Armenian’s pull-out with considerable skepticism.

Arman Tsarukyan’s title withdrawal still casts a shadow

“The truth is that he wasn’t going to make weight, so he dropped out. Of course, that’s true. Of course,” Gaethje told Johnson. “If it was his back, and there was a medical report from the UFC, then he wouldn’t be suffering like this….There is no way that he truly hurt his back cutting weight. How the f–k do you do that?”

“For one, maybe his body was shutting down and couldn’t make the weight, which happens…maybe he was like, ‘My body is shutting down, and I’m not going to make weight, but if you were to pay me more money, then I would push through this and make weight.’ And if someone ever did that, then I could see them never getting a championship fight.”

Yet, despite his apprehension, there are good enough reasons for Gaethje to be booked for his first title defense against Tsarukyan. The Armenian is currently the odds-on favorite to win against Ruffy.

Both Gaethje and Tsarukyan share a rivalry that hinges on public skepticism, trash talk, and a wacky dispute surrounding a promised truck.

Reportedly, ahead of the White House event, someone associated with Tsarukyan won a huge amount of money betting on Gaethje to beat Topuria. The Armenian lightweight then offered the newly crowned champion a truck as a reward.

Gaethje, however, seemingly rejected the gift, claiming that Tsarukyan planned to buy him a “cheap a— truck.”

From that wager, the rivalry has reached a point where Gaethje feels that he would rather see Tsarukyan “get it hard,” meaning get beaten by Ruffy, than watch him suffer when they face off in the Octagon.

The feeling seems mutual, as Tsarukyan feels Gaethje should walk away since “99.9%” he will win the fight once they are booked. According to him, Gaethje should make space for younger fighters who want to be champions.