Arman Tsarukyan has finally addressed the rumors surrounding his relationship with Nina Drama, following a heated exchange with Georgio Poullas at RAF 07.

During the pre-fight press conference, Poullas crossed a line in response to Tsarukyan’s $10,000 bet callout, drawing Nina Drama into the exchange. That moment immediately shifted the tone, with ‘Ahalkalakets’ shutting it down and warning against including family or close friends in trash talk.

Following the incident, Arman Tsarukyan has made it clear that the rumors fans ran with don’t reflect reality.

“You gotta be respectful to the Nina, and she’s my friend,” he told Ariel Helwani. “For my friends, I can beat anybody, you know. I don’t like disrespect because everybody knows that we are making content, we are good friends, and like we make the jokes.

“People think we have something between us, but nothing; we’re just friends, good friends, and making good content that people like.”

The statement follows an already tense fight week. Following their chaotic first encounter at RAF 06, Arman Tsarukyan and Georgio Poullas were able to keep things under control this time, though their verbal exchanges still carried edge. The lightweight contender chose words over actions to avoid upsetting the UFC again—but made sure his stance was clear.

Nina Drama also stepped in after the press conference, confronting Poullas directly about the comment.

“What was that? It was a s— promo, respectfully. It was disrespectful,” she told him upfront. “The part where you mentioned me up there, it was disrespectful.

“You were nice in the lobby, and I took a picture. I was trying to be really respectful, but I didn’t like that s—. I didn’t like it.”

While he apologized and claimed no bad intent, the moment had already gone viral, adding another layer to the rivalry heading into fight night.

Inside the arena, ‘Ahalkalakets’ let his performance do the talking. In a much more composed rematch, he won decisively 9-3 with a late four-pointer. And, unlike their first encounter, the fight ended in mutual respect, with both men embracing, bringing an end to a rivalry that had briefly strayed too far from the sport.

Now, he is already looking towards going one-on-one against Colby Covington, another big, budding feud that needs some closure. And if Arman Tsarukyan is to be believed, the RAF is going all out to make it happen.

Arman Tsarukyan claims the UFC will try to push the UFC for a Colby Covington matchup

That sense of closure with Georgio Poullas hasn’t slowed Arman Tsarukyan down; instead, it has redirected his focus. With tensions already brewing during fight week, his focus has shifted to Colby Covington, a rivalry that seems far from over. And this time, the push comes not only from him but also from the promotion itself.

‘Ahalkalakets’ revealed that RAF is actively trying to make the matchup happen, even if it means negotiating with the UFC. The issue, of course, is that both fighters are still under contract, making cross-competition appearances difficult.

“To be honest, I don’t know (whether it could happen),” Arman Tsarukyan told The Ariel Helwani Show. “If the UFC let us do this, it would be great, because we fight in different weight classes; I fight at 155 lbs and he fights at 170 lbs, and we’re never gonna fight each other (in the UFC).

“And right now, he’s not on that level, not even a contender anymore; he’s just a regular fighter who has a name and he can talk a lot.”

‘Ahalkalakets’ claims the fight is just easy money for him.

“It’d be easy money for me,” he added. “I go there, wrestle with a bodybuilder, and now I’m gonna wrestle with Colby, the beer guy who drinks beer all day and does extra exercises during the night, so it’ll be easy money for me.

“We’ll let RAF figure it out, they’re asking (the UFC).”

Whether it actually materializes depends on the UFC.

However, Arman Tsarukyan appears ready, even presenting himself as a backup for the upcoming White House clash between Justin Gaethje and Ilia Topuria for the lightweight title. But while the chances of him fighting at the White House are slim, if the promotion grants the go-ahead to RAF, the Covington matchup could swiftly become his next stop, transforming a verbal battle into something far more definitive on the mat.