Arman Tsarukyan returns to the UFC Octagon against Joaquim Silva
Top-ranked UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan returns to the UFC Octagon later this summer against Joaquim Silva.
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to reveal the Tsarukyan vs. Silva booking, which takes place on June 17 at a UFC Apex event in Las Vegas headlined by middleweights Jared Cannonier and Marvin Vettori. The Tsarukyan vs. Silva matchup can reasonably be expected to be placed on the main card.
Per sources, Arman Tsarukyan taking on Joaquim Silva at UFC Fight Night on June 17. Arman ranked No. 8 currently at 155.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) May 9, 2023
As soon as the fight was announced, there was mostly negative sentiment toward the booking on social media, with fans and media alike complaining that this fight is a mismatch. We have heard that no one ranked higher than he wants to fight Tsarukyan, but it’s still surprising to hear that Silva was the only name willing to step up and fight him. Remember, Tsarukyan had a fight against Renato Moicano that fell through last month, so it’s been difficult for the UFC to get him a fight booked.
Tsarukyan (19-3) is the No. 8 ranked lightweight in the UFC. He joined the UFC back in 2019 and he has a 6-2 record overall in the promotion since then. He holds notable victories over Damir Ismagulov, Matt Frevola, and Olivier Aubin-Mercier in the Octagon, with his only two UFC losses coming against the champion Islam Makhachev and a top contender in Mateusz Gamrot.
Silva (12-3) has a 5-3 record in the UFC since joining the promotion back n 2015. Despite being in the promotion for a long time, he isn’t very well known since he basically once per year. Still, he is dangerous. In his last fight, Silva brutally knocked out Jesse Ronson in his return to the UFC after a three-year layoff. That being said, Tsarukyan is a huge step up in competition, and there is no doubt Silva will be a massive underdog here to hand his opponent the upset.
Do you think Joaquim Silva has a chance to pull off the upset against Arman Tsarukyan?
