Arman Tsarukyan is in a strange position right now. He’s the man everyone says should be next in line at lightweight—the ranked challenger who makes sense, but the title picture moves without him. Ilia Topuria is out, the UFC has scheduled Paddy Pimblett vs. Justin Gaethje for interim gold, and ‘Ahalkalakets’ is trying his best to stay active, relevant, and make it impossible for the promotion to ignore him.

And he’s not doing it with typical UFC callouts or highlight clips. He’s doing it through pure chaos. While the UFC continues without him, Arman Tsarukyan has turned the start of 2026 into a full-fledged PR run. The most recent stop was an interview with YouTube troll Matan Even, where the conversation went off the rails almost immediately.

Arman Tsarukyan gets caught in the weirdest conversation possible

The clip that went viral wasn’t even about fighting. The Israeli troll challenged Arman Tsarukyan to beat Michael Jackson in a dance-based UFC battle. One where punching will get you disqualified. ‘Ahalkalakets,’ already confused, didn’t even try to play tough. “No, I would lose to him,” he said, completely deadpan.

Matan Even followed up, asking why an athletic guy would lose. Tsarukyan just stated, “No, I’m a bad dancer. I’ve got to learn how to dance.” The solution provided by the 18-year-old? Speak with Michael Jackson. Adding to the absurdity, Tsarukyan replied, “Okay, I’ll talk to him in 60 years.”

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When Matan questioned why 60, ‘Ahalkalakets’ had to explain as if he were speaking to a child: “But he died. I’m saying when I die, I talk to him in 60.” The interviewer then made things even weirder by asking if Tsarukyan was planning to take his own life in 60 years—and Arman, still puzzled, simply clarified that he wants to live another 60 years. That is it. That was the logic.

And that is precisely why fans couldn’t stop laughing. Not because it was a polished media moment—quite the opposite. It felt like Arman Tsarukyan was put into a bizarre skit without a script and tried to respond like a normal human, which made it even funnier. So, as expected, fans couldn’t help but be amused by this random podcast drop, a move that surely got the number one-ranked lightweight noticed by all.

Fans are loving Tsarukyan’s latest run post-title snub

That unexpected podcast moment was just another example of what fans are now referring to as the “Arman takeover”—because once you see it, you can’t unsee it. The UFC may have pushed the title narrative without him, but ‘Ahalkalakets’ has answered by flooding the timeline. He isn’t waiting for a press conference mic anymore. He’s making sure his face appears wherever MMA fans scroll.

That’s why so many reactions were less about the Matan Even clip itself and more about how often ‘Ahalkalakets’ keeps showing up. “Bro, what’s happening here? Arman is literally the 1st guy I see whenever I open my social media.” Another fan sounded stunned: “What type of run is this man on to start the year lmao.”

Then came a blunt summary that kept repeating itself: “Bro’s everywhere LMFAOOO.” It wasn’t long before people began framing it like a masterclass. “Arman Tsarukyan is on the greatest PR run of all time,” one said, while another treated it as a case study: “Arman Tsarukyan’s 2026 run needs to be studied.”

For context, his last viral appearance was on N3on’s stream. Tsarukyan dropped some outrageous one-liners, helped the streamer get a date, bought him expensive goodies, and shared an entire buffet of Armenian cuisine with him.

The best part is that none of this feels forced. Arman is not trying to act like a mascot. He’s just being himself, so the second wave of reactions felt more affectionate. “I love this run, man. Arman is so natural,” one fan commented. Another stated that the run had absolutely changed their perception of him: “Arman just became my favorite fighter, man.” And the one that summarizes the overall surprise factor: “No way Arman came here. He’s hilarious!”

And that’s what’s making the UFC situation look worse. Tsarukyan has fought under various rulesets since defeating Dan Hooker in November, including a draw with Shara Magomedov before returning to RAF05 to crush four-time All-American Lance Palmer 10-0. So, while the title talk continues without him, the number-one-ranked lightweight is making sure that the UFC can no longer act like he doesn’t exist.