The UFC may have overlooked Arman Tsarukyan, but former heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier isn’t making the same mistake. The Armenian lightweight defeated Dan Hooker last month, leading many to expect he would earn a title shot against Ilia Topuria next. However, that’s not how things played out.

Instead, an interim lightweight title fight between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett has been confirmed for UFC 324. Meanwhile, reigning champion Ilia Topuria remains sidelined for the next several months and is expected to face the winner of Gaethje vs. Pimblett upon his return. Despite the apparent snub, Cormier continues to advocate for Tsarukyan’s title shot.

Arman Tsarukyan is as good as Topuria, says Daniel Cormier

While appearing in an interview with Red Corner MMA, Daniel Cormier praised Tsarukyan as the best lightweight in the world. “I think that Arman Tsarukyan is doing everything he needs to do to stay active. Listen, man, this guy might just be the best lightweight in the world,” Cormier said. “Since Islam’s gone, he’s really good, man. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s physical.”

Notably, Arman Tsarukyan vs. Shara ‘Bullet’ Magomedov is scheduled as a grappling-only, submission-only bout on December 30, 2025, in Yerevan, Armenia, under the Hype FC promotion. During the interview, Daniel Cormier also identified both Ilia Topuria and Tsarukyan as the top lightweights in the sport right now.

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“The champion, Ilia Topuria, is tremendous. I think Ilia and Arman are the two best guys in the world. I think they need to fight at some point because I think… Paddy Pimblett is awesome. Justin Gaethje is awesome. Arman and Ilia seem to have something,” he added. And it’s not just their skills that have impressed Cormier.

“And not only something in terms of skill, but between the two that we could build a great fight around,” Cormier added during the interview. Despite Cormier’s push, a fight between Tsarukyan and Topuria doesn’t appear to be happening anytime soon. Topuria has outright refused to face Tsarukyan, citing Tsarukyan’s withdrawal from his fight against Islam Makhachev.

Earlier this year, Arman Tsarukyan was set to challenge Makhachev for the lightweight title but was forced to pull out at the last minute due to a back injury. Since then, Makhachev has moved up to welterweight, allowing Ilia Topuria to step into the lightweight division and claim the vacant belt. 

On top of that, UFC leadership doesn’t seem eager to grant Tsarukyan a title shot anytime soon.

The Ilia Topuria fight is impossible for Tsarukyan

Dana White has made it clear that Arman Tsarukyan’s No. 1 ranking means little when it comes to UFC title opportunities. Despite riding a five-fight win streak and sitting atop the lightweight standings, Tsarukyan was bypassed for an interim title fight, and White isn’t apologetic about it. “I wouldn’t say that [Tsarukyan] is the odd man out,” White said. 

“He had an opportunity, and you guys know how that played out. He’s going to have to work his way back. I don’t give a s—t what the number [next to his name] says, he’s going to have to work his way back,” he added, referencing Tsarukyan’s withdrawal from the Makhachev fight. “Too much goes into this for those types of things to happen,” White added. 

“You can’t get the opportunity, and it can’t end that way.” Unmoved by fan backlash, White summed up his stance bluntly. “I don’t give a s—t what everybody else says.”

Having said that, it appears that even though Daniel Cormier is confident regarding a fight between Ilia Topuria and Arman Tsarukyan, the fight remains out of reach. But do you think it will actually happen?