Arman Tsarukyan welcomes March or April fight with Charles Oliveira: ‘Sounds good’

UFC lightweight contender, Arman Tsarukyan has welcomed the possibility of welcoming former undisputed lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira back to active competition as soon as March or April – as the Brazilian eyes an Octagon comeback in the opening quarter of this year.

Tsarukyan, the current #9 ranked lightweight contender under the banner of the promotion, most recently featured on the UFC Vegas 66 card at the end of December last year, defeating Damir Ismagulov with a unanimous decision victory.

The win returned Armenian-born standout, Arman Tsarukyan to the winner’s enclosure after he suffered a unanimous judging loss to former KSW duel-weight champion, Mateusz Gamrot in his first promotional main event back in June of this year. Tsarukyan’s sole other professional loss came in the form of a UFC debut blemish against current champion, Islam Makhachev.

Seeing his division-best 11-fight undefeated streak halted last October on ‘Fight Island’ in the headliner of UFC 280, former champion, Oliveira was submitted by common-foe, Makhachev in the second round of their vacant title fight courtesy of an arm-triangle choke.

Yet to be officially booked for his next Octagon appearance, the fan-favorite recently revealed how he plans to fight as soon as the end of March or April this year, and believes he’s a single win from another UFC title challenge.

“I’ve been a long way from that belt,” Charles Oliveira said. “Today, I’m one fight away from him. UFC knows that – knows that I want. I didn’t come here to play. I came to make history. I want to fight around the end of March, April, that’s my timing. I need to fight on that date. And I need a guy who (is) winning, will definitely be the next challenger for the title.”

“He (Islam Makhachev) will fight now in February, so I, in March, April, caught a guy who puts me in front of the goal again for the title at the end of the year,” Charles Oliveira explained. “For sure {just one more fight to the belt}. Now I fight in March, April and at the end of the year for the title again.” 

Arman Tsarukyan targets fight with Charles Oliveira next

Reacting to Oliveira’s plans to land a quickfire Octagon comeback, Tsarukyan welcomed the opportunity to test his skills against the division’s number one ranked contender.

“Sounds good,” Arman Tsarukyan tweeted in response to Charles Oliveira. 

Prior to his loss against Polish contender, Gamrot last year, Arman Tsarukyan had climbed the ranks of the lightweight division with a string of consecutive wins against Olivier Aubin-Mercier, Davi Ramos, Matt Frevola, Christos Giagos, and a bloody decimation of Joel Alvarez.