Ilia Topuria should vacate his title after saying he would rather drop the belt than defend it against Arman Tsarukyan.
That’s according to Tsarukyan’s manager, Daniel Rubenstein, who believes Topuria should ‘walk away’ from the lightweight title following his shocking declaration.
Topuria was crowned the new lightweight champion last month when he knocked out MMA veteran Charles Oliveira at UFC 317.
UFC CEO Dana White has since been tasked with finding the next suitable opponent for the Georgian-born Spanish fighter to make his first title defence against.
One name that has crept up several times, unsurprisingly, is No.1-ranked UFC lightweight Arman Tsarukyan.
Topuria was asked about defending his belt against Tsarukyan in a conversation with the Nelk Boys, and he wasn’t having any of it.
“They are gonna give him a fight before the title shot, because there is no way,” he explained.
“I’m the world champion. I’m never gonna give him a chance to fight for the title.
“I will be like, ‘If that’s the case, take my belt,’ I won’t do it.”
This has sparked a major reaction among members of the MMA fraternity, with Tsarukyan’s manager clear on his stance.
“No objections here,” he wrote via X on Thursday, responding to Topuria’s comments.
“Vacate it, walk away. Tsarukyan vs [Justin] Gaethje for the vacant lightweight UFC championship.”
Ilia Topuria's UFC Record
Nine wins, zero defeats
- Def. Charles Oliveira via first-round KO/TKO at UFC 317 in June 2025 (won UFC lightweight title)
- Def. Max Holloway via third-round KO/TKO at UFC 308 in October 2024 (defended UFC featherweight title)
- Def. Alexander Volkanovski via second-round KO/TKO at UFC 298 in February 2024 (won UFC featherweight title)
- Def. Josh Emmett via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night in June 2023
- Def. Bryce Mitchell via second-round submission at UFC 282 in December 2022
- Def. Jai Herbert via second-round KO/TKO at UFC Fight Night in March 2022
- Def. Ryan Hall via first-round KO/TKO at UFC 264 in July 2021
- Def. Damon Jackson via first-round KO/TKO at UFC Fight Night in December 2020
- Def. Youssef Zalal via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night in October 2020
Tsarukyan himself has also since responded to his rival’s words.
“Imagine calling yourself a champion, but you’re already looking for a way out,” he said.
“You can vacate it, or I’ll take it. Either way, it’s mine.”
UFC’s undefeated lightweight champion Topuria doesn’t believe Tsarukyan deserves a shot at his belt.
The 28-year-old from Armenia is on a four-fight winning streak, having defeated Oliveira in his last fight at UFC 300.
He was scheduled to fight the previous 155lb king, Islam Makhachev, at UFC 311 in January, but pulled out of the fight on short notice due to injury.
But Tsarukyan isn’t the only fighter who believes he deserves a crack at Topuria’s belt next.
No.4-ranked lightweight Max Holloway is eyeing up a rematch with Topuria after he spoiled Dustin Poirier’s retirement party at UFC 318 this month.
Holloway suffered the first knockout defeat of his career to Topuria in October and said in the build-up to his clash with Poirier that he hoped to set up another title fight with a win.
Gaethje, meanwhile, has also declared that he will retire from the sport if he doesn’t fight for the belt next.
This follows rumours of a title eliminator bout with Liverpool’s MMA star Paddy Pimblett, who has cemented himself as a real threat in the lightweight division since beating Michael Chandler in May.
Who has Ilia Topuria beaten?
Topuria has knocked out a host of MMA legends en route to the sport’s summit.
He made his UFC debut in October 2020 and embarked on a six-fight winning streak, which concluded with a unanimous decision win over Josh Emmett, to set up his first title shot.
‘El Matador’ captured the featherweight strap by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298 in February 2024, before defending it against Holloway six months later.
Topuria then made the decision to vacate his featherweight title to move up a division to fight for the lightweight belt.
He became a two-division titleholder last month by making light work of Oliveira inside 147 seconds of their UFC 317 main event bout.