In just a little more than a month, the UFC will enter its historic 7.7 billion dollar Paramount+ CBS era. With the deal set to take effect in January, Dana White still hasn’t announced or even hinted at what will be their first event under the new broadcasting banner. Maybe the UFC head honcho has a surprise lined up, but it seems Arman Tsarukyan may have solved that problem.

In the UFC Qatar main event, the Armenian showed no signs of ring rust as he submitted Dan Hooker via arm-triangle choke in round 2 after stepping into the Octagon for the first time in over a year. And following that standout victory, ‘Akhalkalakets’ wasted no time calling out the reigning lightweight champion, who was also present inside the Ali Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah Arena. Tsarukyan made it clear in his Octagon interview that he’s not afraid to make a quick turnaround at the end of January to fight for the title.

Tsarukyan told Michael Bisping, “Thanks, Dan! Because of him, I fought this year. Just only guy wanted to fight with me, everybody run out. Especially Ilia, if you’re here, come on, we gotta face off. There’s just one contender, number one, and it’s Arman Tsarukyan. Don’t make an easy fight. Everybody knows I gotta fight for the title, and I’m ready in the end of January. Just send me contract, I’ll be there.” 

Well, there have to be levels to Arman Tsarukyan’s daring, as he’s more than ready to make a quick turnaround and face Ilia Topuria in January. But it’s highly unlikely his team would allow it, because the Armenian’s camp would prefer a full, well-prepared training camp before they step in against ‘El Matador’, who has flatlined three legends back-to-back.

So, as Dana White heads to the war room to decide whether to gift the audience this fight in the Paramount era next year, Tsarukyan is willing to take things up a notch. He plans to heat up the rivalry with the reigning lightweight champion even more so it captures some added attention.

Arman Tsarukyan would troll Ilia Topuria more following UFC Qatar victory

Ilia Topuria vs Arman Tsarukyan, without any animosity, would still be nothing short of a proper superfight. They already have that hyper-competitive spark to prove who’s the best. However, the Armenian understands that having a visual edge—where fans care about more than just the fight—could boost his chances of securing the title shot. For that, he’s ready to troll Topuria to raise the stakes and draw more eyes so fans have something deeper to connect with.

At the UFC Qatar post-fight presser, Tsarukyan said, “Because I didn’t want to mention too much about Ilia because I was focused on my fight. But after today, I’m gonna try to again create some that’s gonna be viral and try to make a joke, to bring a lot of eyes for that fight. Because it’s a media sport, too you know. You gotta be a good fighter and good showman.”

And that’s spot on! Showmanship is exactly why Ilia Topuria vs Paddy Pimblett is on the table for ‘El Matador’s first-ever title defence, despite the Liverpudlian not beating any top-five lightweight contenders so far. It’s the history between Topuria and Pimblett, starting from their altercation at the UFC London Hotel back in 2022, to their recent verbal spat at UFC Qatar. Moments like these create ready-made promos for the UFC. Unfortunately, Tsarukyan doesn’t have that storyline yet.

Still, even if the number one lightweight contender successfully amplifies the tension between himself and Topuria, do you think he actually gets the title shot? Let us know in the comments section below.