Tsarukyan Believes He'd Beat Prime Khabib: "I'm a More Complete Fighter Than Him"

As he awaits his next UFC bout, Arman Tsarukyan is keeping sharp with grappling matches worldwide. He's confident in his abilities, believing he can defeat anyone in the UFC lightweight division, even a prime Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Nurmagomedov retired from the sport in 2020 with a perfect 29-0 record, having submitted Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje in his final three Octagon appearances. Despite this, Tsarukyan considers himself a more complete fighter than "The Eagle."

In April 2025, Nurmagomedov himself identified Tsarukyan as the "more competitive" opponent for then-lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, ranking him above Ilia Topuria as a "more serious fighter." Topuria subsequently knocked out Charles Oliveira to claim the UFC lightweight title after Makhachev vacated the belt to move to welterweight.

Tsarukyan, who lost a decision to Makhachev in his UFC debut in 2019, is currently on a five-fight winning streak in MMA since 2022. This run includes a split-decision victory over former champion Charles Oliveira and a second-round submission against Dan Hooker in November 2025.

He is currently scheduled for a grappling match against Urijah Faber at RAF 8 on April 18, which will be his tenth non-UFC match since his win over "Do Bronx" at UFC 300.