Tsarukyan Hits Back At Justin Gaethje’s Title Plea: ‘You Barely Got Past #11 On Short Notice’

UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan evidently wasn’t impressed by Justin Gaethje’s performance this past weekend — and decision to call for a title shot off the back of it.

Gaethje bounced back from his brutal knockout loss to Max Holloway in his return to action Saturday night. “The Highlight” co-headlined the UFC 313 pay-per-view in a rematch against Rafael Fiziev.

While “Ataman” performed valiantly on short notice, he once again fell short to Gaethje on the scorecards, having suffered the same fate in London back in 2023.

As the Azerbaijani contemplates a move down to the featherweight division, the American fan favorite was quick to stake his claim for a third crack at achieving undisputed lightweight glory on MMA’s biggest stage. But Tsarukyan, the top contender at 155 pounds, firmly disagrees with “The Highlight’s” recent demand to UFC CEO Dana White.

In a social media post Wednesday, the Russian-Armenian categorically dismissed any suggestion that Justin Gaethje deserves the next shot at Islam Makhachev’s gold.

“You barely got past #11 on short notice, and before that, you got sent to the shadow realm,” Tsarukyan wrote on X. “If you really want to be the #1 contender and fight for the belt, you have to go through me first.”

Unfortunately for Tsarukyan, it would appear that Gaethje might have the support of UFC higher-ups when it comes to his ongoing title ambitions, with White stating backstage at UFC 313 that there’s a “good chance” the American receives another title shot.