Arman Tsarukyan Aims To Break Makhachev's Lightweight Defense Record

Arman Tsarukyan says he's staying at lightweight with a specific goal in mind: winning the UFC title and topping Islam Makhachev's record of four successful defenses.

"I want to beat the record in the lightweight division. Islam had four defenses, so I want to make five," Tsarukyan

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Tsarukyan faces Mauricio Ruffy in the UFC 331 co-main event on September 19, his first fight since submitting Dan Hooker last November. He says the UFC has promised him a title shot against Justin Gaethje with a win.

Makhachev won the lightweight title in 2022 and defended it four times — beating Alexander Volkanovski twice, Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano — before moving up and winning the welterweight title, which he's since defended against Ian Machado Garry.

Tsarukyan was originally booked to challenge Makhachev for the lightweight title at UFC 311 in January 2025, a rematch of their 2019 meeting, before withdrawing with a back injury. At 29 and with 26 professional fights so far, Tsarukyan says a five-defense reign would put him at 33 fights, at which point he'd reassess whether to retire or move up to welterweight.