As the first week of April 2026 begins, Arman Tsarukyan still waits for his UFC title shot, with no clear timeline in sight. However, despite the uncertainty, he continues to build momentum by staying consistently active in Real American Freestyle. In fact, just last week, ‘Ahalkalakets’ made headlines with his third appearance in the promotion. He competed at RAF 07 in Tampa and, notably, defeated Georgio Poullas in their rematch.

Now, without slowing down, Tsarukyan has already scheduled his return for the eighth installment of RAF next week. More recently, MMA media outlet PAM drew attention by revealing that Arman Tsarukyan will step back into the pit on April 18 at RAF 08, where he will face a UFC veteran and NCAA standout.

“Arman Tsarukyan will face Urijah Faber at RAF 8 on April 18,” wrote PAM on X. “Arman keeps himself busy and competes every week these days. At this point, when the UFC finally offer him a title shot, I am not sure he will be able to squeeze them into his tight schedule.”

As a result, the Russian-Armenian star will take on an unexpected opponent in his next RAF outing, but Urijah Faber still brings strong name value and attention. Now retired from MMA, Faber established himself as one of the biggest figures in the bantamweight division during his prime. He won the WEC title and defended it five times.

After the UFC absorbed WEC, he challenged for the UFC bantamweight belt multiple times, including an interim title bout, and faced elite opponents such as Renan Barão and Michael McDonald.

After stepping away from MMA in 2019, Faber shifted his focus to grappling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, while also taking part in occasional RAF appearances. Earlier this year, he made his RAF debut but lost to Henry Cejudo via a technical fall in February. Now, he returns in the co-main event of RAF 08 to face Tsarukyan.

As ‘Ahalkalakets’ waits for his UFC title opportunity, he continues to stay active in grappling. The promotion has reportedly held him back because of multiple concerns, including his actions around events like UFC 311 and UFC Qatar. Because of this, Tsarukyan has taken control of his own momentum and now promotes his RAF appearances through independent streaming instead of relying on UFC platforms.

“It’s crazy how likable and he’s not even use UFC media machine. Mixing wrestling event and doing streams has made a fan favorite,” a fan MMA wrote.

Even though the UFC isn’t offering Arman Tsarukyan a title shot anytime soon, he has already started building his profile through a growing social media fan base. Currently, he promotes in American platforms by collaborating with Nina Drama and streamers like N3ON, which has boosted his visibility and popularity in the American landscape.

As a result, this rise makes it increasingly difficult for Dana White to deny him a title opportunity. At the same time, new opponents are already targeting Arman Tsarukyan for upcoming RAF events.

Colby Covington sets sights on Arman Tsarukyan for RAF

While sidelined from the UFC, Arman Tsarukyan continues chasing his ultimate goal: a title shot. To stay ready, he positioned himself as backup for the upcoming UFC White House event lightweight bout. At that event, Justin Gaethje will face champion Ilia Topuria for the unification belt.

Because of this, for the June 14 White House event, ‘Ahalkalakets’ declared himself as backup, though no one knows when or if he will actually get his title shot. At the same time, Tsarukyan pursues plenty of lucrative fight opportunities in RAF. He has been especially active recently since Colby Covington called him out.

“That little Armenian midget has no chance. Come see me on the RAF mat, I’ll destroy you,” said Colby Covington at an RAF event.

At the same event, Dillon Danis, coming off a loss to Covington, also met the Russian-Armenian and showed his appreciation. In response, Tsarukyan humorously challenged Danis by saying he will “beat” him in sports too, referring to wrestling.

Because Tsarukyan has stayed so active in wrestling, would Dana White and the UFC approve of him competing elsewhere? Since he already lost his spot in the pound-for-pound top 15 last month, could these factors push Tsarukyan further from a title shot? Drop your thoughts below.