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Dana White Won't Promise Tsarukyan-Ruffy Winner a Title Shot
Dana White won't confirm the Tsarukyan vs. Ruffy UFC 331 winner gets a Gaethje title shot.
Dana White won't confirm the Tsarukyan vs. Ruffy UFC 331 winner gets a Gaethje title shot.
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Dana White is refusing to guarantee that the winner of Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 will get the next crack at lightweight champion Justin Gaethje, even though both fighters say they were told otherwise.
Speaking with Sports Central LA, the UFC CEO declined to call the September 19 co-main event in Los Angeles a genuine No. 1 contender fight until it actually happens. "I hate to say that until the fight is over," White said. "Arman says a lot of things. Arman and I have had a nice little run here. Listen, let's see how this fight plays out."
White's comments matter because Tsarukyan and Ruffy have both operated under the belief that Crypto.com Arena would settle the No. 1 contender picture outright. White's refusal to confirm that in advance is a departure from what the fighters were led to expect, and it comes loaded with history. Tsarukyan has spent close to two years working back into the promotion's good graces after a late UFC 311 title-fight withdrawal, a punch thrown at a fan at UFC 300, and a headbutt directed at Dan Hooker, among other incidents. White name-checking that "nice little run" with Tsarukyan is not a throwaway line. It reads as a reminder that the champion's standing with the front office still carries weight separate from his ranking.
None of that erases the resume. Tsarukyan remains the top-ranked lightweight contender, and Gaethje has publicly said Tsarukyan had a stronger case for a title shot than Ilia Topuria did before Topuria lost the belt to Gaethje at UFC White House in June. That makes White's hesitation notable. The fighter with arguably the best claim to a shot still isn't getting one handed to him in advance.
Tsarukyan is not playing it safe with his fight plan, either. Despite holding a clear wrestling and grappling advantage over the hard-hitting Ruffy, he is not promising a ground-and-pound formality. Talking with streamer N3on, Tsarukyan predicted a finish that leans into Ruffy's own strength. "My prediction is stoppage," he said. "Round 3 stoppage via TKO. Elbows, elbows. I'll cut his face." That is a fighter forecasting a firefight, not a wrestling clinic, against a knockout artist who has made his name doing exactly that kind of damage.
Books have Tsarukyan's grappling pedigree as the reason he is favored, but his own prediction points to a different kind of risk. If Tsarukyan is serious about standing and trading rather than chaining takedowns, that opens a live path for Ruffy, who has built his UFC run on power and finishing instinct on the feet. Bettors leaning toward Tsarukyan winning should still weigh a live-underdog finish prop for Ruffy given the firefight both camps seem to be expecting. And because White is holding back on confirming title-shot implications, there is added incentive for both fighters to close the show rather than lean on a workmanlike decision, which could push finish-related props into value depending on how the market prices the fight closer to fight week.
UFC CEO Dana White has declined to confirm that the winner of Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 will automatically get the next lightweight title shot against Justin Gaethje, despite both fighters saying they were told it would be a No. 1 contender fight.
Arman Tsarukyan faces Mauricio Ruffy in the UFC 331 co-main event on September 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, with both fighters believing the winner will challenge Justin Gaethje for the lightweight title.
Arman Tsarukyan has predicted he will finish Mauricio Ruffy via TKO in the third round using elbows, rather than relying solely on his wrestling advantage.
Joshua Van retained the UFC flyweight title over Alexandre Pantoja by decision at UFC 331, settling their rematch.
Arman Tsarukyan meets Mauricio Ruffy in the UFC 331 co-main event with a lightweight title shot on the line.
Patricio Pitbull scored his first UFC knockout, finishing Dooho Choi at UFC 331 and calling out Jean Silva after.