UFC 331: Tsarukyan-Ruffy Clash Could Decide Next Lightweight Title Challenger
In the co-main event of UFC 331 in Los Angeles on Saturday, lightweights Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy meet with a potential title shot against champion Justin Gaethje at stake for the winner.
A high-stakes fight
UFC 331 takes place Saturday, September 19, 2026, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, headlined by the flyweight title rematch between champion Joshua Van and former champion Alexandre Pantoja. Considerable attention, however, is also on the co-main event: a lightweight bout between Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy. According to Yahoo Sports/MMA Junkie, Tsarukyan is ranked No. 2 in the lightweight division and hasn't lost a fight in four years, while Ruffy has 13 knockouts among his 14 career wins. Betting odds favor Tsarukyan, but several commentators note Ruffy carries a real puncher's chance.
Cejudo wants to see Ruffy vs. Gaethje
Former two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo said on the "Pound 4 Pound" podcast that he expects an impressive win by Ruffy to let him skip the rest of the lightweight division and go straight to a title fight against champion Justin Gaethje. Cejudo acknowledged that a win would make Tsarukyan equally deserving of the shot, but voiced doubt that UFC leadership favors the Armenian wrestler to the same degree, recalling a prior instance when Tsarukyan withdrew from a fight a day before a major event due to back problems, after which Renato Moicano received a title opportunity instead. Cejudo stressed that the final call on title fights rests with UFC president Dana White, not other matchmaking figures, and that promises can be revoked.
Predictions diverge
On Ruffy specifically, Cejudo noted that after being submitted by Benoit Saint Denis, the fighter relocated to Australia to train with featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski, working on getting back to his feet against strong wrestlers. If Ruffy can keep the fight standing, Cejudo gives him the edge, though he admits betting against an experienced wrestler like Tsarukyan is difficult. Meanwhile, as the headline of a Yahoo Sports/MMA Junkie report indicates, former champion Israel Adesanya predicts Ruffy will beat Tsarukyan in the third round, though the article does not provide further detail behind that prediction.
