Moicano: Tsarukyan Is Next, but Volkanovski vs. Gaethje Sells

Renato Moicano thinks Arman Tsarukyan is the next UFC lightweight champion. He also thinks Justin Gaethje should take a different fight first. Moicano shared both views with MMA Fighting before he headlines UFC Vegas 123.

Moicano meets Tom Nolan on Saturday at the Meta APEX. He is on a three-fight winning streak that includes a win over former champion Charles Oliveira and stoppages of Dan Hooker and, a month before this card, Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331. In January 2025 he fought Islam Makhachev for the 155-pound title on a day's notice at UFC 311, after Tsarukyan withdrew with a back injury.

Why Tsarukyan beats Gaethje

Gaethje became undisputed champion in June with an upset of Ilia Topuria at UFC White House. If he faces Tsarukyan next, Moicano expects a hard night for him.

"After what he did to Ruffy, that was crazy," Moicano said of Tsarukyan. "I think Ruffy is a better striker than Gaethje." He called himself a huge fan of Gaethje and described what the champion did against Topuria as unbelievable. Still, he said, Tsarukyan is well-rounded: a good striker, grappler and wrestler with a very high fight IQ.

Many already saw Tsarukyan as the rightful top contender. His finish of Ruffy in Los Angeles was a Knockout of the Year candidate.

The Volkanovski option

Alexander Volkanovski knocked out Movsar Evloev in the second round of the UFC 333 main event. Since then he has pitched a Gaethje fight as a double-retirement bout, with both men vacating their titles afterward.

Moicano likes the idea and says Gaethje should push for it. "UFC is not about being only the best," he said. "UFC is about selling history behind the fight. A narrative." He pointed to Volkanovski's win over Evloev and his earlier win over Diego Lopes. He also noted that Volkanovski did well in his first title fight with Makhachev and lost the second on short notice.

In his view the matchup is a better one for Gaethje than Tsarukyan. "It makes sense for Volk, it makes sense for Gaethje, and makes sense for the UFC," Moicano said. He added that it does not make sense by the rankings and that Tsarukyan should not be left waiting.

"I would rather watch Volk than Arman, to be completely honest," Moicano said. "UFC does what the fans want to watch, so maybe that could happen."

Source: MMA Fighting