Lightweight No. 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan is not having the week he hoped for. Despite dominating Dan Hooker at UFC Qatar, the promotion stunned fans by overlooking him for Ilia Topuria’s first title defense. Instead, Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje will clash for the interim lightweight belt at UFC 324 on January 24, with the winner facing Topuria for the belt. But the Armenian fighter isn’t taking the snub quietly.

With his No. 1 ranking suddenly feeling meaningless, the 29-year-old has made an unexpected request to the UFC matchmaking team—one that’s anything but ordinary. Dropping his hopes of facing Ilia Topuria, who recently said he won’t fight in the first quarter of 2026, Arman Tsarukyan is now eyeing a man who has already dismantled stars like Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier.

Arman Tsarukyan is willing to settle for the BMF belt

“It’s a business,” Tsarukyan told ESPN, reflecting on being overlooked, “At the end of the day, I have the same goal. Everybody knows that I will beat everybody, and it’s just [a matter of] time.” With his path to Ilia Topuria on hold, Tsarukyan has turned his attention to a different, high-profile name. If the hints weren’t obvious enough, the 29-year-old is now calling for a showdown with BMF champion Max Holloway. 

“I hope they give me the BMF title at least,” Tsarukyan added. “What are they going to give me? Who do we have in our division to fight if it’s not Holloway?” There may already be an opening. Kevin, a content creator on X, previously reported that the UFC had targeted Holloway vs. Charles Oliveira for UFC 324 before shifting the booking to Pimblett vs. Gaethje. If Holloway is flexible, Tsarukyan’s challenge doesn’t feel far-fetched.

Still, being passed over has only intensified Tsarukyan’s resentment toward Paddy Pimblett—so much so that he even offered to help Justin Gaethje prepare. “I want him to [beat] that bulls— guy. I hate him. He’s such a b—-,” he said. His frustration explains why he doesn’t plan to appear at the event. “I don’t want to be [at UFC 324] because I’m going to fight with somebody. If I see Paddy, I would like to slap him,” he continued.

Even so, Tsarukyan hasn’t abandoned the idea of eventually facing Ilia Topuria. “That [Topuria] fight is going to happen for sure,” he insisted during the interview with ESPN. “Everybody is saying, ‘Arman, Arman, Arman.’ Everybody knows it’s bulls—. The next champion is here.” 

Holloway captured the BMF title with a legendary last-second knockout over Justin Gaethje at UFC 300. Luckily for him, the BMF title was not on the line when he suffered a third-round loss to Topuria in October of the same year. After the loss, though, he moved to lightweight and defended the BMF belt against Dustin Poirier at UFC 318.

This bout would have even made sense as an interim bout, considering Holloway’s last two wins at 155 lbs and Tsarujyan’s #1 contender status. Yet, the UFC pursued avenues to set up a Pimblett vs. Topuria fight down the line. Unless Justin Gaethje blows a hole in that plan at UFC 324.

Moving on, though, the BMF champion is yet to respond to Arman’s challenge. But their interests might align on the UFC White House card. 

Max Holloway wants to defend his BMF title on the UFC White House card

Max Holloway says he likes his chances of defending his BMF title on next year’s historic UFC White House card. “There’s no American champion. The only American champion there is the ‘BMF’ title, so you’re looking at the man,” Holloway told Korean Zombie’s YouTube channel. “So am I going to be at the card? I like my odds of being on it.”

But Holloway is torn. The venue’s limited seating gives him pause. “I heard that’s only going to have like 5,000 people on the lawn… I don’t know if my family would be able to have seats there,” he said. Still, with Charles Oliveira calling for a rematch, Holloway is ready, “There’s a BMF title on the line… that would be fun.”

While Holloway intends to defend the title against Oliveira, UFC has proven that they are the ones who decide who fights whom. And Tsarukyan might be snubbed there, too. The UFC’s Brazilian page accidentally posted and deleted an announcement for Holloway vs. Oliveira 2 for the BMF belt, set for UFC 324. They had done the same for the Oliveira vs. Topuria bout.

It does not make sense for the UFC to add such a high-profile fight and not make it the headliner for the maiden Paramount+ card. Perhaps it was a post about the initial plans to put together that bout for UFC 324. But if the UFC adds that to the January 24 event, it would leave Tsarukyan with nothing to hope for in the near future.

How do you see the situation playing out for the Armenian? Do you agree with the majority sentiment that the UFC is treating him unfairly?