Mikey Musumeci lets his grappling do the talking, most of the time. But after UFC BJJ 5, he decided to step into a different kind of conversation, one that involves Arman Tsarukyan and ‘Bane’ actor, Tom Hardy! The moment came after his impressive performance at the BJJ event, where he took on Shay Montague.

Before the match, Musumeci had promised he’d wrestle more. To prove his point, he even rocked the iconic Dagestani chin strap beard to make the point. He then closed the show with a slick ankle lock when the opening finally appeared. It wasn’t fireworks early, but when it ended, it ended fast. That win mattered because it gave him the platform to say what he said next. And he aimed it straight at Arman Tsarukyan.

As he told the interviewer, “I really want to fight Arman. Not fight. Definitely not fight. Let’s change the F word out of this one. Grapple Arman.” Then he explained why he felt compelled to speak up. Tsarukyan had previously revealed that he had been offered a grappling match with Tom Hardy. Hardy, a longtime BJJ hobbyist who’s now a brown belt, reportedly declined because of filming commitments. For Musumeci, that was not the point.

“Like he was a purple belt, now he’s a brown belt. Congrats, Tom,” Musumeci said, giving his friend his flowers. “But I just don’t like that he did that. Like he could grapple actually a grappler.”

The grappling wizard also offered to meet the UFC lightweight on his own terms as he further shared, “You know, I’m lighter than him, so I’ll just go up and face him. Like that would be a really fun match for everyone. Can I face him? He’s so much bigger and stronger. Can I beat him? We’ll see.”

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But when asked about the timing for when he wants the clash to happen, he took a page out of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s book! He simply said, “Send me location.”

For those out of the loop, Arman Tsarukyan isn’t some casual grappler chasing celebrity rounds. He competes often when he’s not in the UFC cage. He wrestled Sharaputdin Magomedov to a draw in Armenia. He dominated four-time All-American Lance Palmer 10–0 at RAF (Real American Freestyle). That’s why Mikey Musumeci’s callout actually makes sense as a matchup.

To be fair, Tom Hardy does have real mat time. After all, winning double gold at ReOrg as a blue belt isn’t nothing. But Musumeci’s point is fair. Calling out a hobbyist, even a famous one, doesn’t move the needle for the sport. Calling out a reigning UFC BJJ champion does. Will it happen? Who knows, but there’s already one other fight everyone wants to see. And according to Demetrious Johnson, Arman Tsarukyan has what it takes to end Ilia Topuria’s reign atop the lightweight throne!

Demetrious Johnson backs Arman Tsarukyan as the one to “beat” Ilia Topuria

Away from the Tom Hardy noise, the lightweight contender is quietly stacking the kind of respect that actually moves him toward gold. After training with him in a video on his YouTube channel, ‘Mighty Mouse’ didn’t hold back his praise as he said, “After training with him, if he fights Ilia Topuria, I think he has the athletic ability, the skillset, the mixed martial artist, and the mindset to be able to beat Ilia Topuria.”

That’s a heavy endorsement when it comes from one of the most technical champions the sport has ever seen. The timing, though, isn’t perfect for Arman Tsarukyan. He had a title shot lined up against Islam Makhachev in early 2025, pulled out, and the line moved on without him.

Since then, he’s tried to steady the ship with results, including a dominant submission of Dan Hooker. But while he was rebuilding momentum, Justin Gaethje went out and beat Paddy Pimblett for interim gold. That reshaped the queue.

Johnson acknowledged that reality, too, as he confessed, “They chose Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett, Justin Gaethje beat Paddy Pimblett, so by law, the interim champion should be fighting Ilia Topuria next…” In Johnson’s view, Tsarukyan should face the winner of Gaethje vs. Topuria next.

The training-room details back that up. Johnson described Tsarukyan as “super athletic, super strong,” and big on in-the-moment adjustments. He said Arman Tsarkyan adapts fast, stays conditioned, doesn’t fade, and actually asks questions, a sign of an elite fighter open to knowledge to take his game to the next level.

So, where does that leave this whole saga? Two lanes, really. One is the fun side quest with Musumeci vs. Tsarukyan in a grappling match that answers real technical questions and respects the sport. The other is the road that actually defines legacies with the lightweight star fighting his way back into a title shot and proving he belongs at the very top of the division!