Number-one ranked UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan gave a scathing review of the UFC 324 main event, undermining the fighting acumen of both Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett.
Tsarukyan spoke in a post-fight interview with Paramount UFC, claiming Pimblett is “a trash can” and that Gaethje “has no chin” and is “getting old”.
The top lightweight contender’s comments come after a five-round war between Gaethje and Pimblett, in which Gaethje won by unanimous decision, taking four rounds to one on two of the judges’ scorecards.
While fans were excited by the back-and-forth exchanges, detractors like Tsarukyan, and others, questioned whether it was truly a high-level professional fight, or simply an entertaining blood bath.
Tsarukyan’s take
“I told everybody that Justin was going to win by decision,” Tsarukyan said regarding the fight. “I didn’t understand his (Pimblett) game plan even.
“He wanted to box with Gaethje but he couldn’t wrestle him. He couldn’t box him. He’s just a little bit young and he has a better chin. But he’s a trash can.”
On Gaethje’s performance, Tsarukyan said: “I’ll choke him out in the second round.
“He has no chin. When Paddy like clip him a little bit, he was wobbling right away, and his cardio is not that good too.
“He’s just not in his prime anymore. Justin, like three or four years ago, he was different. Now, he’s like… getting old,” he continued.
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Topuria’s absence
The only reason an interim-title fight was possible in the lightweight division was due to former champion Ilia Topuria vacating the belt as a result of a family issue.
Topuria stated previously that he did not want to “hold up the division” in his absence. Topuria remains the true lightweight champ in the eyes of UFC fans.
The Georgian-Spanish star posted a statement in late 2025 on his social media to address the reasoning behind his need to step away from the octagon.
He said: “I won’t be fighting in the first quarter of next year.
“I’m going through a difficult moment in my personal life. I want to focus on my children and resolve this situation as soon as possible.
“I don’t want to hold up the division. The UFC will make the match-ups needed, and as soon as the matters are resolved I’ll let the UFC know I’m ready to begin my return.”
With the UFC White House card set for June 14, Topuria will likely aim to resolve any issues in his personal life to feature on the UFC’s biggest event in its history.
Why the UFC 324 main event did not feature Tsarukyan
Despite being the undisputed number-one lightweight contender in the division, many wondered why Tsarukyan did not feature in the contest for the interim title.
This comes as a result of what appears to be a form of punishment from the UFC, following the Armenian’s withdrawal from the UFC 311 main event for the undisputed lightweight title against then-champion Islam Makhachev just one day before the fight.
Lightweight contender Renato Moicano jumped in to rescue the event, but was ultimately easily defeated by Makhachev in round one via D’Arce choke.
Makhachev vacated the lightweight title, moved up a weight class and defeated then-welterweight title holder Jack Della Maddalena to claim the 170-pound division’s gold at UFC 322.
In this period, Tsarukyan remained in the fight-game wilderness, but will look to return this year against either Gaethje or Topuria.
Tsarukyan’s return
“I think I’ll fight with Gaethje if Topuria is going to fight for the 170 title,” Tsarukyan said.
“I want to fight with Justin because he’s interim title and if Ilia can not come at the beginning of the year.
“If he can fight this year, then yeah, they’ve got to fight together, but if he can not fight in June, I’d like to fight Gaethje.”
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SportJustSport writers