BUZZ Tsarukyan says Gaethje is ducking him; UFC to answer on title shot in late November

Arman Tsarukyan has a deadline for his first UFC title shot but no opponent. He says the UFC told him it will let him know at the end of November, and he thinks champion Justin Gaethje is the reason for the wait.

Speaking to Helen Yee Sports before his RAF 14 fight with Dillon Danis, Tsarukyan put it bluntly: either the UFC pays Gaethje enough to fight, or he retires. Gaethje won the undisputed title by stopping Ilia Topuria in June and is recovering from injury, with a return targeted for 2027 and no opponent set. He has said the end is near but has not announced a retirement. According to Sherdog, Tsarukyan also believes Gaethje is holding out for a massive payday and that the asking price is a way to avoid a stylistic problem on the ground. Gaethje has not responded.

Tsarukyan, 30, has alternatives. Alexander Volkanovski, the 38-year-old featherweight champion, stopped Movsar Evloev in round two at UFC 333 and said he would retire for a fight with Gaethje, or vacate to fight Tsarukyan if Gaethje retires. Asked about Volkanovski, Tsarukyan called it a good stylistic matchup and said he is "a little bit old now." Volkanovski replied on The Ariel Helwani Show that "you ain't holding me down" and that he can handle wrestlers. Tsarukyan's answer: Volkanovski said Islam Makhachev couldn't knock him out either, and Makhachev did at UFC 294 in 2023.

If the belt is vacated, Tsarukyan named Paddy Pimblett, Topuria or the winner of Charles Oliveira against Diego Lopes as fights he would take. Topuria is ranked above him in the official lightweight rankings, according to MMA Mania, so the order of any title picture is uncertain.

Tsarukyan arrives on a run. He knocked out Mauricio Ruffy with a first-round elbow at UFC 331 in September, then beat Danis at RAF 14. His next fight is a catchweight bout with Neiman Gracie at RAF Abu Dhabi on Nov. 14, and Knockout Daily reports he is booked against Anthony Pettis at RAF 15 on Nov. 28.

Watch for the UFC's call on Gaethje at the end of November. It decides whether Tsarukyan gets a champion, a Volkanovski fight or a vacant-title bout.