Tsarukyan certain he's next for Makhachev: 'Rest of you can take a seat'

Arman Tsarukyan wants the UFC lightweight division to know there's no skipping the line.

Tsarukyan, ranked No. 1 in the weight class, was adamant Monday in a post on X that his next fight will be for the 155-pound championship against Islam Makhachev.

"I'm the one fighting for the title next," Tsarukyan wrote. "The rest of you can take a seat."

Tsarukyan's tweet was perhaps in response to lightweight contender Michael Chandler claiming last week that the UFC offered him a title shot in lieu of a blockbuster Conor McGregor matchup.

Tsarukyan earned a crack at Makhachev by defeating former champion Charles Oliveira via split decision at UFC 300 in April. The most likely landing spot for the fight is UFC 308 on Oct. 26 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

However, the matchup was jeopardized last month after the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) suspended Tsarukyan for nine months because he threw a punch at a fan during his walkout for the Oliveira fight. The Armenian-Georgian fighter's ban can be reduced to six months - which falls before UFC 308 - if he produces an anti-bullying PSA, which he intends to do.

Tsarukyan is the only fighter in the division worthy of a title shot, as three of the other four top-five lightweights - Oliveira, Justin Gaethje, and Dustin Poirier - are coming off losses. Makhachev submitted Poirier in the fifth round of his third title defense at UFC 302 in June.