UFC star Arman Tsarukyan is set to return to Russia.
The #1 UFC lightweight contender has been patiently waiting for his next fight. As you may recall, Tsarukyan lost out on a title opportunity earlier this year when he withdrew from his rematch with then champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 due to a back injury.
Tsarukyan has since made weight as the back-up fighter for the UFC 317 main event between Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira, which saw Topuria win by first-round knockout.
Topuria mentioned Tsarukyan in his post-fight interview, but months later there’s still no news of who will be Topuria’s first title defense.
While he awaits his UFC return, Tsarukyan has decided to stay busy in the grappling scene.
Arman Tsarukyan vs. Benson Henderson grappling match booked
On Friday, ACB JJ (Absolute Championship of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) announced a grappling match, a no-gi ‘super fight’ between Tsarukyan and the former UFC and WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson.
Henderson is considered one of the greatest lightweight fighters of all time. Near the end of his career, the 41-year-old is coming off a loss to Idris Virgo in Misfits Boxing from around this time last year.
Tsarukyan vs. Henderson is set for ACB JJ 18 on Sept. 19, in Moscow, Russia.
This will be Tsarukyan’s third straight grappling match. The top contender has back-to-back wins over PFL fighter Makkasharip Zaynukov and former Bellator lightweight champion Patricky Pitbull.
Arman Tsarukyan could pose grappling threat to Ilia Topuria
Many pundits in the MMA world have touted Tsarukyan as the lightweight division’s best chance at dethroning champion Ilia Topuria.
Tsarukyan is an impressive 9-1 in the Octagon since dropping his debut to Islam Makhachev on short notice in 2019.
Makhachev’s head coach Javier Mendez believes Tsarukyan to be Topuria’s toughest test because of his grappling skills.
Riding a four-fight win streak with back-to-back wins over Beneil Dariush and Charles Oliveira, the most prolific submission artist in UFC history, it is still uncertain if Tsarukyan is next in line for Topuria. After all, Dana White has previously said he would have to fight again for the title opportunity.