Before Arman Tsarukyan was scheduled to fight Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 this weekend, a rematch with Charles Oliveira was under discussion for the card. However, Oliveira was dealing with the death of his close friend and teammate Allan Nascimento, who passed away from a sudden heart attack on August 3. Tsarukyan initially believed Oliveira was using the tragedy as an excuse to avoid fighting him. Now, however, the Armenian has admitted that he may have misunderstood what happened.

In an interview with Paramount+, Tsarukyan reflected on Oliveira’s claim that the UFC had not sent him the contract for the fight. However, having realized the Brazilian never said anything along those lines, Arman Tsarukyan walked back on his previous ducking claim, labelling the entire thing as a ‘misunderstanding.’

“No, he came and said that UFC didn’t like send him a contract,” Tsarukyan said. “So, probably it’s a miscommunication.”

Oliveira had previously explained that the timing made it difficult for him to accept the matchup following Nascimento’s death. Speaking to Olhar da Luta, the former lightweight champion said the UFC had discussed the fight with him, but he wanted to push it back to November or December.

“No, actually this fight was offered to me,” Oliveira told Olhardaluta. “I said it wasn’t very feasible. It’s impossible. There wasn’t time for that fight. That fight could go on from November to December; that’s all that was said.”

Charles Oliveira did not clearly state whether the UFC had formally sent him a contract that he declined. However, Tsarukyan’s latest comments suggest that the two sides may have been discussing the matchup without it ever reaching the contract stage.

That distinction helps explain why Tsarukyan has now backed away from his earlier suggestion that Oliveira was ducking him. If no contract had been formally sent, the situation appears to have been more complicated than simply one fighter refusing a confirmed bout.

The BMF champion also explained what happened after the situation changed. According to Oliveira, the UFC eventually moved forward with Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy after Ruffy accepted the matchup.

“But then what happened with Allan happened, and we soon saw what happened with Ruffy coming in,” Oliveira added.

That allowed the UFC to keep Tsarukyan on the UFC 331 card by pairing him with Ruffy, who stepped in as a credible replacement for the former lightweight champion. However, Oliveira’s side has offered another detail that further clarifies why the rematch never materialized.

His head coach, Diego Lima, told MMA Fighting in late August that Charles Oliveira did not have a fight scheduled. Lima also clarified that the UFC had never formally offered the former lightweight champion the Arman Tsarukyan fight.

With that clarification, Tsarukyan has now moved on from the situation and turned his attention to what comes next. His goal remains an undisputed lightweight title shot, but even a strong performance against Ruffy may not automatically put him next in line.

Arman Tsarukyan would’ve earned a title shot with a statement win over Charles Oliveira

Recently, Dana White was asked about the stakes of the UFC 331 co-main event, specifically whether Arman Tsarukyan would finally get his deserved title shot if he dominates Mauricio Ruffy in California. In response, the UFC CEO remained fairly pessimistic about the Armenian’s chances and didn’t provide a clear answer.

“I hate to say that [it’s a No. 1 contender fight] until it’s over,” White told Sports Central LA. “Arman says a lot of things. Arman and I have had a nice little run here. Listen, let’s see how this fight plays out.”

White did not rule out the possibility of the winner receiving a title shot, but he also stopped short of calling it a definitive No. 1 contender fight. That leaves Tsarukyan with more work to do if he wants to force his way into the title picture.

A victory over Ruffy, even an impressive one, would not necessarily carry the same significance as beating Oliveira again. Tsarukyan already holds a split-decision victory over ‘Do Bronx’ from UFC 300, and a second win—particularly a dominant one—could have strengthened his case considerably.

The situation is even more complicated because Ruffy is a different stylistic challenge. Tsarukyan is already expected to enter their UFC 331 co-main event as the favorite, so simply adding another victory to his record may not be enough to separate himself from the other contenders in the division.

And there is another potential obstacle ahead. Ilia Topuria is now angling for a rematch with Justin Gaethje, which could further complicate the lightweight title picture if the UFC decides to revisit that matchup.

For Tsarukyan, the Oliveira rematch may have represented a clearer path toward another title opportunity. Instead, circumstances surrounding Nascimento’s death changed the situation, and Ruffy became his opponent. Now, the Armenian has to make the most of the opportunity in front of him and leave the decision about his next title shot in the UFC’s hands.