For weeks rumors have swirled that a rematch between former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira and No. 2 ranked contender Arman Tsarukyan was all but signed, sealed and delivered. The fight promotion had other plans.
Tsarukyan (23-3) will instead face No. 7 ranked Mauricio Ruffy (14-2) in the UFC 331 co-main event in a five-round fight. UFC 331 takes place on Sept. 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and is headlined by a flyweight championship rematch between titleholder Joshua Van and former champion Alexandre Pantoja.
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Tsarukyan will enter the bout riding a five-fight winning streak. He last fought at UFC Fight Night 265 last November defeating Dan Hooker via submission. The finish earned him a ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus.
Ruffy has won back-to-back fights and is coming off a TKO win over Michael Chandler at the UFC Freedom 250 event at The White House in June.
The event will mark the promotion’s sixth visit to Los Angeles but the first in eight years. The last time the octagon was in L.A. was for UFC 227 in August 2018.
