The UFC has thrown the MMA world into chaos with a late-stage announcement that lightweight contenders Arman Tsarukyan and former champion Charles Oliveira are now locked in to headline UFC 331 in Los Angeles, California. The blockbuster pairing, which has been the subject of weeks of feverish speculation and contradictory reports, is officially in the works according to a breaking report from Red Corner MMA on X, confirming that the promotion has made the eleventh-hour decision to book this rematch as the main event.
The news brings an end to months of will-they-won’t-they drama between the two elite lightweights, who first collided back in 2023 in a fight that Tsarukyan won by unanimous decision in what many considered an instant classic. Oliveira has been chasing redemption ever since, and now he gets his shot at evening the score on one of the biggest stages the UFC has to offer. Fight fans have been demanding this rematch for nearly two years, and the promotion has finally delivered.
But here is the twist that has everyone talking: despite the fight being elevated to headliner status, it will NOT be contested for the BMF belt. For weeks, rumors swirled that Tsarukyan would challenge Oliveira for the coveted BMF title, with many assuming that the only logical reason to book this fight as a main event would be to attach championship gold to it. That, apparently, is not the case.
The UFC has offered no official explanation for why the BMF belt will not be on the line, leaving fans and analysts scrambling for answers.
The decision is made even stranger by the fact that the UFC 331 card was already scheduled to feature a legitimate title fight. The flyweight championship matchup between Joshua Van and Alexandre Pantoja, which was originally expected to headline the event from Los Angeles, has now been bumped down to the co-main event slot. A non-title lightweight bout taking precedence over a championship fight is a rare occurrence in the UFC, but the promotion’s matchmakers clearly see Tsarukyan-Oliveira as the bigger commercial draw, BMF belt or not.
Meanwhile, Tsarukyan’s personal life has become a storyline unto itself in the lead-up to this massive booking. In a new interview, the Armenian lightweight contender was asked directly about how his wife reacts to his on-camera flirting with other women, and his response was typically blunt and unapologetic. Tsarukyan made it clear that his social media presence is strictly business, and that his family plays no role in the content he produces.
“It’s a show. We’re making a show, a series, and I’m doing my job. She’s doing hers.
People believe anything, even though it’s, well, none of it is real,” Tsarukyan said. “My family isn’t involved in my work. What I do on social media is strictly business.
I made it clear that no one should interfere with my work. It makes no difference what I’m doing or who I’m filming with.”
The comments come amid intense public interest in the apparent drama between Tsarukyan and Nina, the influencer he has been collaborating with in a series of social media content. Fans have been speculating for weeks about the nature of their relationship and how Tsarukyan’s wife feels about the increasingly flirtatious videos. Tsarukyan’s response suggests that he and his wife have a clear understanding of the boundaries between his professional and personal life, even if the public remains skeptical.
Adding fuel to the fire, Tsarukyan was spotted living the high life just days ago, photographed on a Lamborghini yacht in what appears to be a display of serious wealth. The optics of the luxury lifestyle, combined with his lucrative social media partnerships, have only intensified the public’s fascination with his personal brand. That kind of money doesn’t come cheap, and fans are connecting the dots between his influencer activity and his growing bank account.
And in true “Side Quest Arman” fashion, Tsarukyan was also seen competing in a Hyrox event just yesterday. For those unfamiliar with the sport, Hyrox is an indoor fitness competition that combines eight kilometers of running with eight functional workout stations, designed to challenge athletes at every level of fitness. Footage of Tsarukyan grinding through the event has been circulating online, with critics once again accusing him of doing everything except actually fighting in the UFC.
The criticism has dogged Tsarukyan throughout his career, and the “Side Quest” nickname has stuck with him through countless extracurricular activities between fights. However, with the Oliveira rematch now reportedly booked, Tsarukyan has a clear objective in front of him. The question is whether all these side activities, the yachts, the fitness competitions, the social media content, will impact his preparation for one of the most dangerous grapplers in the entire lightweight division.
Oliveira, for his part, will be coming into this fight with something to prove. The former champion has reinvented himself multiple times over his storied career, and a win over Tsarukyan would put him right back in title contention. Their first fight was a chess match that showcased both men’s grappling acumen, with Tsarukyan edging out the victory on the scorecards.
A rematch promises to be even more compelling, with both fighters having evolved significantly since that first meeting.
In other lightweight division news, UFC 330 is now just one week away, and the promotion is finalizing a card that features the highly anticipated showdown between Islam Makhachev and Ian Garry. According to one top welterweight contender, however, Garry doesn’t stand a chance. Michael Morales, who was himself a frontrunner for the Makhachev fight before the UFC ultimately chose Garry, has made his prediction with stunning confidence.
“Zero. Zero chance,” Morales said during a recent interview with Danny Sagura from MMA Junkie on Abimos MMA. “You might not believe it, but the card at the White House, I predicted every fight.
I don’t see Ian with many chances. It would have to be a brutal shot that stops Makhachev. I’m 100% going with Makhachev.”
Morales went on to break down exactly why he views this matchup as a mismatch, pointing to Makhachev’s established game plan and relentless wrestling pressure. “We already know Islam Makhachev’s plan. He’s done it all his life.
He’s going to strike and go for the takedown. He has great control on the ground. I think the fight spends the entire five rounds on the ground.
Or he’s going to finish. We all know how they fight.”
The prediction carries extra weight given Morales’s own history with the matchup. At one point, all signs pointed to Morales being next in line for a shot at Makhachev. He posted photos with UFC executive Hunter Campbell, he publicly insisted that he had confirmation of his position as the next contender, and the MMA community took notice.
Then the UFC pivoted to Garry, leaving Morales on the outside looking in.
Makhachev himself recently addressed the topic of his own beatability, and his response was a masterclass in quiet confidence. In an interview with the Game Set Paddle podcast on YouTube, the lightweight champion acknowledged that any fighter can be beaten on any given night, but he made it abundantly clear that he does not believe anyone in the sport is willing to put in the work required to actually do it.
“You know, I just always tell, you know, somebody like people like fighters can beat me, you know, but who can beat me? Who training more than me?” Makhachev said.
“But I know nobody training more than me. That’s why I have like mentally I’m ready, physically I’m ready like and I can fight with anybody.”
The champion’s confidence is backed by one of the most impressive resumes in modern UFC history, and his training regimen is legendary within the sport. His camp, led by Khabib Nurmagomedov’s inner circle, is widely considered one of the most disciplined and grueling in all of MMA. It is that preparation that Makhachev believes gives him an edge that no opponent can overcome.
Speaking of the Nurmagomedov camp, the future of Usman Nurmagomedov continues to dominate headlines across the MMA landscape. The undefeated lightweight champion competed over the weekend in what is believed to be the final fight of his PFL contract, and speculation is running rampant about whether he will make the jump to the UFC. Following UFC Belgrade, Dana White was all smiles when questioned about the possibility, and now Demetrious Johnson has weighed in with an urgent plea to the UFC boss. 
“Like, if I was Dana, I would pay Usmanov whatever the hell he wants to take him away from the PFL merger because it’s, you know, you’re stealing a star from their organization,” Johnson said. “And there’s a whole family right there. There’s Khabib Nurmagomedov.
There’s Abubakar Nurmagomedov. There’s Islam Makhachev. And there’s Umar Nurmagomedov.
And there’s the coaches and the team. So I like the position that Usman is in.”
Johnson, widely regarded as one of the greatest flyweights in the history of the sport, also addressed the complicated dynamics of the PFL MVP merger with Jake Paul’s organization. He argued that if Usman truly wants to test himself against the best the lightweight division has to offer, the UFC is the only place that can provide that challenge. The names available in the UFC lightweight division, from Justin Gaethje to Dustin Poirier, represent the deepest pool of talent in the sport.
The question now is how the UFC would structure a deal to bring Usman into the fold. At 22-0 with a PFL championship to his name, he will command a significant contract, and money alone might not be enough to sway him. Some analysts have speculated that the UFC could sweeten the pot by offering him a marquee debut matchup against a star like Ilia Topuria, Arman Tsarukyan, or even a fan favorite like Dustin Poirier.
That last option is especially intriguing given the recent bad blood between Topuria and Makhachev’s camp.
It sounds far-fetched on the surface, but the UFC has a history of pulling off exactly this kind of aggressive recruitment when it comes to elite talent. The promotion knows that bringing Usman Nurmagomedov into the fold would not only add another elite lightweight to the roster, but it would also strike a major blow to the PFL’s credibility. The chess match between the two organizations is only just beginning.
In other UFC news, Merab Dvalishvili has officially opened training camp for his rematch with Petr Yan, and the bantamweight champion says he is approaching this preparation differently than the first time around. Dvalishvili posted a video on his YouTube channel detailing his training philosophy, and his confidence is impossible to miss.
“Today training was very good because we work some position. This is pretty much how I’m going to work against Petr and this feels like a real training camp for me,” Dvalishvili said. “We talk a lot.
We train smart and this is what I need because last time when I fought Petr I was working hard. This time I work smart. That’s what I need and I think I’m going to make different result and take my belt back and continue a good life and stay busy.”
Khamzat Chimaev, meanwhile, is reportedly desperate for a rematch with Sean Strickland following their controversial first meeting. According to Chimaev’s coach, Mad Vichue, the weight cut was the single biggest factor in Chimaev’s uncharacteristically flat performance, and the undefeated star has been relentless in his pursuit of a second chance.
“Before his last fight, the weight cut was an issue because he initially was set to face Yuri Prohaska at 205,” Vichue revealed in an interview with Red Corner MMA. “So we were mostly focusing on his physique. He started gaining muscle.
He was gaining weight more than before. And then they said, ‘No, we’re leaving this option aside. You have to face Strickland at 185.’
That’s why we didn’t have much time and we faced more problems than we had expected. Since that fight, he’s been constantly texting his manager saying he wants that rematch.”
Elsewhere around the MMA world, Ilia Topuria was spotted in a nightclub in Spain alongside footballer Fan Torres, and observers were quick to note that the two appeared to be getting a little too comfortable with each other. Video footage from the outing has been making the rounds on social media, with fans offering their typically colorful commentary on the situation.
The UFC also unloaded a wave of new fight announcements this week. AG Fight reports that Elvis Brener versus Josiah Harrell is official for a UFC Vegas card on September 26th. Brener, who burst onto the UFC scene with a 3-0 start back in 2023, is now riding a three-fight losing streak and is in desperate need of a victory to save his roster spot.
Harrell, on the other hand, is looking to bounce back from the first loss of his professional career, a first-round TKO defeat at the hands of Jacobe Smith in his UFC debut.
Marcel Dorf also reports that Francisco Prado versus Artemov is set for a UFC Vegas card on October 10th. Prado finds himself in a must-win situation, sitting at 1-5 in the UFC and riding a four-fight losing streak. His opponent, Minev, is looking to prove himself after suffering a second-round TKO loss to Tommy Gant in his UFC debut.
Both men will be fighting for their professional futures, which should set the stage for a desperate and entertaining battle.
In short-notice news, the UFC has already found a replacement for Jeff Neal, who pulled out of his UFC 330 matchup against Cheetani due to an unexpected injury. Joel Alvarez will step in on short notice to face Cheetani, just weeks removed from a submission loss to Yaroslav Amos at UFC 328. Interestingly, Alvarez was already in New Jersey training with Islam Makhachev’s camp, so he should be in solid condition despite the late call-up.
And in the always-entertaining world of retired fighters, Dustin Poirier is apparently making the most of his post-fighting life. The former interim lightweight champion posted a new photo to his Instagram account showing off significant muscle gains since retirement, and fans are absolutely loving it. Poirier openly admitted before his retirement that he planned to start using performance enhancers once he was done competing, and the results of that decision are already clearly visible.
The MMA community also had a collective field day with Jonah Hill this week after the actor made some bold and frankly ridiculous claims about his Brazilian jiu-jitsu abilities. During an appearance on the Smart List show with Jason Bateman, Hill bragged that he could “annihilate” anyone who questioned his fighting skills. The internet’s response was immediate and merciless, with fans calling out the actor’s tough guy persona and mocking his white belt energy.
The backlash was swift and brutal, with some of the best comments coming from X. One user wrote, “Bro thinks he’s Johnny Bones Jones, lol.” Another responded, “I think this is the smallest anyone has ever sounded dog.
Don’t live your life like this.” The general consensus was that Hill, who played the same “fat guy” character in nearly every movie he has ever been in, is dealing with some serious insecurity issues around his past appearance.
Regardless of the mockery, Hill’s comments serve as a reminder that Brazilian jiu-jitsu is a discipline that commands respect, and respect is something that must be earned, not claimed. The MMA community has seen countless celebrities come and go, and those who talk the loudest are usually the ones who get exposed the fastest. For now, Hill can take solace in knowing that his white belt will protect him, at least until someone actually calls his bluff.
As UFC 330 approaches and UFC 331 begins to take shape, the MMA world is absolutely buzzing with storylines. From Tsarukyan’s controversial path to the Oliveira rematch to Makhachev’s title defense and the looming question of Usman Nurmagomedov’s future, there is no shortage of drama to dissect. The next few weeks are going to be absolutely wild, and fight fans around the world are strapping in for the ride.
