Arman Tsarukyan is seemingly determined to compete every other week. Just days after his victorious rematch against Georgio Poullas at RAF 7, the top-ranked UFC lightweight has agreed to wrestle UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber on April 18 in the 175-pound co-main event of RAF 8.
The announcement marks the latest side-quest for Tsarukyan, who has already competed four times outside of the UFC in 2026.
Tsarukyan, 29, defeated Lance Palmer in January at RAF 5, ignited a wild brawl in a win over Poullas in late February at RAF 6, then bested former UFC flyweight Muhammad Mokaev in a grappling match in Brazil just weeks later. Tsarukyan pushed his RAF record to 3-0 this past Saturday with an impressive showing in the Poullas rematch, winning by a 9-3 score after pulling off a high-flying late takedown to seal his victory.
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Tsarukyan told Uncrowned on Monday that following conversations with UFC officials, he is also preparing to serve as the backup fighter for June’s UFC White House main event, which pits UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria against interim champ Justin Gaethje.
“I’m going to train to be in shape if something happens in main event in White House, I’ll be [the] backup [fighter],” Tsarukyan said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “So I’ll [be ready to] fight there. And then they’ll announce my next fight after Ilia vs. Gaethje.”
Tsarukyan, the No. 1-ranked UFC lightweight contender, also stated that UFC officials informed him of several potential options for his next fight. “There is a couple different things that can happen,” he said. “I cannot tell, but should be good.”
Faber, 46, made his RAF debut in late February, losing a main-event match against Olympic gold medalist and former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo by technical fall at RAF 6.
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RAF 8 takes place at The Liacouras Center in Philadelphia. Former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili makes his own promotional debut against Cejudo in the night’s headlining matchup.
