When Arman Tsarukyan pulled out of his fight with Islam Makhachev at UFC 311, the Armenian couldn’t have possibly imagined the consequences he was going to face for it next. The CEO and President of the UFC, Dana White, said, “He will have to fight his way back to the title.” And it seems, White has kept his word. Amidst the rumors of a potential fight between Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje, Tsarukyan, even as the no.1 contender, is only being ignored by the promotion, with nothing but uncertainty laid in his path ahead.

The notion was simple, as much as we thought, but with each day, veterans and fans alike have felt that Arman’s days in exile have still not come to an end. The rumors suggested, and Tsarukyan thought so too, that he was going to face Pimblett next, but the breakthrough rise of the Scouser has convinced many that he will face Gaethje next.

But Gaethje has his plans, he has already envisioned a title shot against the winner of Charles Oliveira vs Ilia Topuria at UFC 317. However, one UFC Insider Chael Sonnen believes that in the case where Gaethje doesn’t land the title shot, he will face Pimblett next. While diminishing Tsarukyan’s chances.

While talking to ‘The Schmo’, the ‘Bad Guy’ of the UFC, Chael Sonnen said, “Paddy The Baddy likely is uh going to fight with Justin Gaethje. Yeah, but you want to know who doesn’t want that fight is Gaethje. Well, that’s the thing, Arman just called him out. Okay, it’s complicated. Gaethje will fight all of guys, I didn’t mean in that return, regard. Gaethje believes with the mandate of the masses that he just has not to mention the risk that he took over Fiziev. And that is true, when you take a risk like you’re a big star and you take on a guy that dangerous, that’s lesser known, you get a reward for it.

He further added, “And even though Gaethje, one and one in his last two, I’ll just remind you out of his last three, two of them were title fights. BMF belt, back into the BMF, back into this hard fight with Fiziev. He believes he’s the number one contender; that’s what I’m trying to get out. Gaethje believes I don’t have to do anything, I can sit here and wait. Now that might be a little presumptuous, but that’s where Gaethje’s mindset is right now. So, I don’t think that Gaethje is going to jump on a fight with Paddy the Baddy or anyone else right now. I think Gaethje, Gaethje at some point in his career, has the right to tell the decision makers we’re going to do it my way. He’s never pulled that card yet. 

So, will this move by Gaethje see him get a title shot, or will he have to face Pimblett in a title eliminator next? Whatever the case might be, it can be lethal for a veteran to sit back and watch in this division of emerging challengers.

Amid the massive rise of emerging lightweight contenders, Justin Gaethje stands as a veteran among names like Poirier, Holloway, and Oliveira. Can the old guard of 155-pounders still challenge the new contenders?

The 155-pound veteran resurgence: Can Oliveira and Poirier pave a path for Justin Gaethje?

The seasoned fighters in the UFC’s lightweight division have a big problem ahead of them. The rising and fresh talent of the promotion is making its way to the top of the weight class, and fans can only seem to worry about the veterans with each passing day. Their question is, can the veterans withstand this storm?

At UFC 317, one of those veterans Charles Oliveira, will compete in the main event of the UFC 317, during the International Fight Week. However, his opponent for the night is a power-puncher and a precision striker. Ilia Topuria has some big names on his resume, and the knockdown vulnerability of Oliveira has the community wondering if he can withstand ‘El Matador’s power. But ‘Do Bronxs’ has his weapons too; he is the greatest submission specialist in UFC’s history.

And then at the very next event, UFC 318, a 36-year-old Dustin Poirier will compete in his last ever bout against the featherweight icon Max Holloway. The bout is set in the lightweight division, and Holloway, who takes short stints at 155 pounds, will compete against Poirier to avenge the two losses he has against ‘The Diamond’. But a retiring Poirier will do his best to end his MMA career on a positive note and find the same conclusion as his previous clashes against ‘The Blessed’.

These two veterans, just like Gaethje, have a short time remaining at the top. And as both are at the biggest crossroads of their careers, so is Gaethje. For whatever happens in Oliveira’s fight with Topuria or Poirier’s fight with Holloway, Gaethje will only need to take notes from their success or mistakes. Will his vision for his title shot come to fruition? What do you think? Let us know in the comments.