Arman Tsarukyan wants ‘at least 5’ lightweight title defenses to break Islam Makhachev’s UFC record

Arman Tsarukyan might never meet Islam Makhachev in the cage again, but he knows there’s a way he can still get the better of him.

The two first fought in Tsarukyan’s debut in 2019, when Tsarukyan, then just 22 years old, jumped on a short-notice opportunity to fight Makhachev at a UFC event in Russia. Makhachev won a hard-fought battle and became UFC champion three years later, with Tsarukyan eventually working his way back to a title shot against Makhachev at UFC 311 in January 2025. That opportunity infamously ended in disaster when a back injury forced Tsarukyan out of the contest.

Makhachev has since vacated the lightweight title and gone