Arman Tsarukyan has become one of the biggest stars in combat sports, a status he’s achieved despite spending years out of favour.
Tsarukyan’s had a rocky relationship with the UFC for some time now, but it hasn’t stopped him from rising to prominence in the sport.
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Since leaving the UFC, ‘Ahalkalakets’ has kept busy with six fights elsewhere, keeping his profile high and his momentum going.
That run of activity has helped him break through to a new level of popularity, with many now calling for him to be next in line for a title shot.
Sean O’Malley shares his admiration for Tsarukyan’s rise
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Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley has spoken highly of Arman Tsarukyan’s ascent, saying he’s “turning into a legend” and that there hasn’t been a rise quite like his.
O’Malley was once one of the sport’s top stars, though consecutive losses to Merab Dvalishvili took some shine off his status.
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Speaking on a recent episode of his podcast, ‘Suga’ said: “Arman is becoming a legend. We’ve never really seen this. Someone that is in the UFC, growing and becoming more of a superstar by competing outside the UFC.”
The 29-year-old Armenian hasn’t fought inside the promotion since then and has continued to take fights elsewhere, gaining fans along the way. In December 2023, Tsarukyan was booked to face Makhachev for the belt but pulled out due to personal reasons.
Since then, he’s been passed over for both an interim title shot and a fight against Ilia Topuria at the UFC White House event.
If Tsarukyan had made it onto that card, he would have shared it with O’Malley, who is set to return against Aiemann Zahabi.
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Tsarukyan has also mentioned that he’ll be keeping his weight down so he can step in as a backup for the lightweight title fight between Topuria and Justin Gaethje if needed.
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