Michael Bisping thinks Arman Tsarukyan might be in a tough spot.
Next week, Max Holloway defends his BMF belt against Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 326 in Las Vegas. The bout is a rematch of a Fight Night headliner from 2015 at featherweight that ended in strange fashion after Oliveira sustained a throat injury early in the fight. Since then, both men have authored Hall of Fame-worthy careers, and now they’re running things back for the ceremonial BMF belt. But Bisping says that’s not really what either man wants.
“They’re fighting for the BMF belt, and that’s very cool,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “There’s only people at lightweight and welterweight that have had the opportunity to fight for that belt. However, they both want to get back with every fiber in their body. They want to be the undisputed champion of the world.
“Now, it’s going to be hard because Charles got knocked out against Ilia, Max got knocked out against Ilia, and right now, we’ve also got an interim champion by the name of Justin Gaethje. And both of these guys have knocked out or finished Justin Gaethje. But Justin Gaethje is the interim champion of the world, and if things flow as they’re supposed to, then the interim champion faces the undisputed champion.”
That could, of course, work to Holloway and Oliveira’s favor if Gaethje beats Topuria whenever the two unify the lightweight titles. But that’s not the only hurdle for “Blessed” and “Do Bronx” to clear; there’s also the matter of top contender Arman Tsarukyan, who was set to fight for the lightweight title in January of 2025 before an injury forced him out of the event at the last moment. But Tsarukyan was already passed over for an interim title shot this January, and Bisping says that whoever the lightweight champion is later this year may well be inclined to pass him over again.
“Will they leapfrog Arman Tsarukyan?” Bisping said. “Arman Tsarukyan, as we know, is out there, he’s talking, he’s pissed off, he’s the rightful No. 1 contender, and all the rest of it. He’s not. There’s an interim champion. That fight needs to happen.
“But if Charles Oliveira and Max Holloway go out there and do something crazy, if we get Charles Oliveira finishing Max Holloway in sensational fashion, jumping over the octagon, running into the crowd like Jose Aldo in Rio de Janeiro, or like Charles Oliveira last time, in October in Rio de Janeiro? If something like that happens and the fans want it, guess what? Ilia Topuria or Justin Gaethje, they would welcome it.
“Being the BMF champ as well, there’d be a potential that you would have the undisputed belt and the BMF belt both on the line in the same fight. Would that gazump Arman Tsarukyan? I don’t know.”
UFC 326 takes place on March 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
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Honestly, it’s hard to disagree with Bisping on this one. Should Max or Charles jump over Arman? Obviously not. But will they? If Gaethje wins, I would bet the house on it. If Ilia wins, maybe not. But it’s possible. Such are the times we live in.
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