Overview

• Ilia Topuria has not officially booked a lightweight title defense since winning the belt at UFC 317 in June.
• Arman Tsarukyan boasts a four-fight UFC win streak that has solidified his position as the division’s No. 1 contender after he withdrew from a title fight with Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 due to injury.
• Topuria stated he would rather vacate the title than risk another cancellation by facing Tsarukyan, fueling accusations that he is avoiding his top challenger.
• Michael Bisping and Paul Felder criticized Topuria’s refusal to fight Tsarukyan as unbecoming of a champion and said merit-based rankings should dictate title shots.
• Chael Sonnen and Sean O’Malley interpret the delay as calculated gamesmanship aimed at generating hype and positioning Topuria for more lucrative matchups such as Islam Makhachev or Justin Gaethje.