Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight Highlights Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mauricio Ruffy collides this weekend (Saturday, September 19, 2026) at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California UFC 331.
Is Tsarukyan the uncrowned lightweight champion of the world? The Armenian wrestler has not lost a fight in four years, but a last-second injury (or weight loss) prevented him from having a rematch. Islam Makhachov. Since his January 2025 accident, Tsarukyan has only fought once, falling Dan Hooker remain the top lightweight contender.
Here, the 29-year-old talent hopes to finally secure his shot at UFC gold.
Only a year older, Ruffy is one of the most promising new contenders at 155 pounds. Hitting the floor Benoit Saint Denis slowed down his shot, but Ruffy is such an electric striker that it’s hard not to get excited about the Brazilian’s potential. Before this fight, Luffy took his training camp to work with the big one Alexander Volkanovskyand we’ll see if this move increases the holes in his wrestling.
Let’s take a closer look at the betting odds and strategic keys for each athlete:
Tsarukyan vs Luffy Betting odds
- Arman Tsarukyan win: -340
- Arman Tsarukyan via TKO/KO/DQ: +220
- Arman Tsarukyan via submission: +230
- Arman Tsarukyan by decision: +360
- Mauricio Ruffy to win: +250
- Mauricio Ruffy via TKO/KO/DQ: +390
- Via Mauricio Ruffy submission: +3000
- Via Mauricio Ruffy decision: +1300
- Odds via FanDuel sports betting
Tsarukyan is an outstanding fighter with one of the best ground attacks in the UFC today. Tsarukyan doesn’t just hold his opponents down; he hits them with elbows and hard punches. Tsaurkyan is quick on the feet and has a skilled left jab that helps mask his lack of height and range.
This is a 100% wrestler vs. striker match. Tsarukyan does not you want to trade blows, who has faster, longer and more powerful boxing. When “BSD” took down Luffy, he did it smartly, wasting almost no time on takedowns.
Luffy has a great 1-2, but he’s always been an attacker who loves and relies heavily on flashy attacks. He would rather hit or land a perfect looking uppercut and then just jab at his opponent. Tsarukyan’s goal should be to apply pressure long enough to bring out that kind of offense, and then immediately try to choke him when he’s out of position.
Being flashy becomes difficult when wrestling fatigue sets in.
Luffy is one of the most electric strikers in the sport. He proved against it Rafael Fiziev that in addition to the style, however, the substance is using long straight punches to time the shorter kickboxer’s right hand with the piston. In his final fight versus Michael ChandlerLuffy did very well to keep his distance against an opponent who wanted to wrestle, but then…it’s 40-year-old Michael Chandler.
Luffy made several critical mistakes against Saint Denis that he cannot afford to repeat here. First, he was overly aggressive with jumping knees and big kicks, which left him in a poor position to wrestle when “BSD” went down for the belt. Jab is supposed to be Luffy’s best friend here. He needs to force Tsarukyan to account for every inch of that height and put himself at a disadvantage, force the wrestler to risk close range.
It’s easy to be critical of Luffy’s flash, but the timing of the guy’s counters is remarkable. As he stabs Tsarukyan with long straight punches, he sees takedown attempts coming. Suddenly, Tsarukyan has to catch himself, which has never been his strong suit.
Trading Luffy for any length of time is likely to end badly.
Tsarukyan vs Luffy Prediction
Luffy is impossible to pick with confidence. You can definitely believe in the Brazilian striker. He has such timing and power to make miracles happen in the cage. He’s coming off an excellent camp that has certainly identified both his ends and Tsarukyan’s defenses as needing improvement.
There’s definitely a chance he’ll knock Tsarukyan out cold.
Unfortunately, the shadow of the Saint Denis struggle hangs over this contest like a bat. Not only was Luffy taken down within a minute, but the Frenchman put him in horrible positions like a mountain in the same amount of time. Tsarukyan is a vastly superior grappler with killer ground and pound – how does Luffy hold up when put in similar positions?
You can count on a flashy KO, but the smart money is on the juicy one.