Arman Tsarukyan announces possible date for UFC title fight against Islam Makhachev

Arman Tsarukyan will likely face Islam Makhachev for the lightweight championship in December. Originally, an October fight was scheduled, but both Tsarukyan and Makhachev had issues that caused the UFC to postpone the fight. However, in a recent conversation with Red Corner MMA, Tsarukyan revealed that UFC 310 will likely be the event that determines the lightweight champion.

Tsarukyan explained: “[The fight with Islam] was supposed to take place in October… But they postponed it. Now it’s being negotiated for December… It depends on when Islam comes back. If he needs surgery and comes back next spring, they’ll put an interim title on the line.” Arman Tsarukyan faced Charles Oliveira at UFC 300. It was considered one of the toughest fights of his career and Tsarukyan suffered a major scare in the first few minutes of the fight.

Charles Oliveira put Tsarukyan in a chokehold that looked quite dangerous. While everyone thought Tsarukyan would give up, the MMA athlete showed impeccable stamina to break free from the submission move. As the fight continued, Tsarukyan put on an excellent striking show to defeat Oliveira and set up a date with Islam Makhachev. Unfortunately, during his appearance at UFC 300, Tsarukyan got into a physical altercation with a spectator.

This resulted in him being banned for nine months, which led to the postponement of the fight in October. However, in a further update, Islam said: Makhachev also explained that he sustained significant injuries to his hand while fighting Dustin Poirier. Makhachev then said he was unsure if surgery was necessary. If Makhachev does indeed opt for surgery, the division will likely host an interim championship.