The UFC’s weight divisions are supposed to have one of the clearest hierarchies in the sport of MMA. A champion at the top, challengers stacked underneath, and the next man up is always obvious. However, it lately appears to be more like traffic. Everyone moving, nobody arriving. And no matter how many times Arman Tsarukyan, the No. 1-ranked contender at lightweight, shows his right intent, he finds himself stuck at the red light.

That’s why his recent conversation with Ariel Helwani hit harder than it normally would. It wasn’t just “give me my shot” stuff. It sounded like ‘Ahalkalakets’ was trying to find some strategy around chaos, like someone who understands the UFC’s calendar game and isn’t satisfied to sit back and watch champions fight once a year while everyone else burns away their prime.

Arman Tsarukyan is open to chasing a new title

On the Ariel Helwani Show, the host spelled out the ugly reality: if Ilia Topuria returns in the summer, the UFC will most likely schedule a unification bout with the interim champion. So, what that means is that Arman Tsarukyan will find himself boxed out again for possibly a year, or at least the near end of it, despite being the most worthy competitor in the division.

So, ‘Ahalkalakets’ didn’t fight the logic. He knew the trap he was in and quickly proposed a solution: a fight for the BMF title. A championship fight that definitely isn’t something he can call a goal, but more like leverage. “Maybe BMF title. Yeah, I want that.”

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And while the Armenian agreed that the title really isn’t a legitimate title, his reasoning was quite simple: he will not squander his prime time waiting for Ilia Topuria to feel like competing. He said, “Ilia, he fights once a year. Maybe he defend his title in June and then say, ‘Okay, I’ll fight next year in June.’ And then what I can do.”

That’s when the frustration begins to sound louder than the rankings. Arman Tsarukyan isn’t complaining about matchups. He is complaining about time. “I’m not that young to wait a lot too, so if they give me a BMF title, it would be great too,” he added.

And it is definitely a line that rings true coming from a 29-year-old contender who understands how quickly this sport moves on from people. So, if the UFC doesn’t hand him the title path immediately, ‘Ahalkalakets’ wants something that will still provide him with some weight and narrative.

He even spelled out the most straightforward plot: “If Charles Oliveira wins, it’s gonna be good. We got the story, and just get that belt and then the real belt.” Arman Tsarukyan isn’t pretending that the BMF is more than a world title. He’s treating it like a legacy belt: something visible and marketable that forces the UFC to acknowledge him again.

Because in a division in limbo, waiting for the throne is not always the best option. It’s grabbing the loudest belt possible and daring them to ignore you. Maybe that’s why he is also looking for the biggest wrestling bouts out there, as he called out Michael Chandler following his recent wrestling win.

Tsarukyan looks for Michael Chandler in his impressive run of side-quests

Arman Tsarukyan continues to take these side quests since he has the same “I’m not waiting” mentality. If the UFC title picture remains clogged, he’ll continue to be active elsewhere—and keep reminding everyone of what level he’s on. At RAF05, he returned to the wrestling mats and dominated Lance Palmer 10-0.

Then came the real point: ‘Ahalkalakets’ quickly used the win to challenge Michael Chandler to a wrestling battle. “I see Michael Chandler calling out somebody he is running from in the UFC. Maybe here he’s not going to be a little girl, and he’s going to wrestle with me because his background is wrestling.”

Chandler answered quickly because he, too, was in attendance. And while ‘Iron’ praised Tsarukyan, talking about his activity levels, he later claimed that fighting ‘Ahalkalakets’ would be a walk in the park for him. “With that being said, I would absolutely smash Arman Tsarukyan in a wrestling match after watching him tonight.” So, did we just get a super-fight booked?

Not exactly, as Michael Chandler decided not to rush into this battle, considering he is still chasing Conor McGregor. “Arman I will smash you in an RAF wrestling ring. But I’ve got my sights set on something later this summer; I think we all know.” So, it looks like the next fight Arman Tsarukyan will be looking forward to is actually a clash for the BMF title. But will he get that opportunity? Let us know in the comments.