Why Paddy Pimblett vs. Justin Gaethje is a ‘Joke’, Arman Tsarukyan Explains: “I’m the number one contender”

Arman Tsarukyan thinks the UFC’s first main event of 2026 is nothing but a joke.

Emanating from the familiar confines of T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, UFC 324 will see Paddy Pimblett square off with Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight championship. The winner will move on to challenge reigning undisputed titleholder Ilia Topuria sometime in 2025 — much to the chagrin of Tsarukyan.

For more than a year, Tsarukyan has been the top-ranked contender in the lightweight division, but instead of competing for the interim belt this Saturday night, he’ll sit on the sidelines and watch two lesser-ranked athletes fight for it.

“Paddy Pimblett versus Justin Gaethje… I hope it’s Gaethje, because I don’t like Paddy,” Tsarukyan told Demetrious Johnson. “If it was me versus Paddy right now, it would be such a big fight. Gaethje’s not that interesting — he barely beat Fiziev, and they give him a title fight. If Paddy wins, of course, I want him. I’ll smash him easy. For me, it’s a joke that these guys are fighting for the belt when I’m the number one contender.”

Arman Tsarukyan is still trying to get his title fight after last year’s debacle

Tsarukyan was actually scheduled to face then-champion Islam Makhachev last January, but an alleged back injury forced him to bow out of the bout just 48 hours from Fight Night. The injury was met with some scrutiny, resulting in Dana White forcing Tsarukyan to go “back to the drawing board” before getting another opportunity at UFC gold.

Since then, ‘Ahalkalakets’ has scored a second-round submission victory over Dan Hooker in November. Many, including Tsarukyan, assumed that would be enough to get him back in the good graces of the UFC.

It turns out that’s not the case.

Now, Tsarukyan will likely sit on the sidelines for the majority of 2026 while awaiting the winner of Ilia Topuria vs. either Pimblett or Gaethje, depending on who emerges victorious this weekend.