Chimaev and Tsarukyan Headline Back-to-Back Co-Mains This Week
Khamzat Chimaev and Arman Tsarukyan share a training circle and now they share a two-night stretch of co-main events. Chimaev wrestles Gilbert Burns on Friday at RAF 13 in Miami, then Tsarukyan returns to the UFC the next night against Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331.
The first date is not an MMA rematch. Chimaev and Burns meet in a catchweight freestyle bout at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables on Sept. 18, with the card streaming on Fox Nation.
They last fought on April 9, 2022, at UFC 273, where Chimaev won a unanimous decision in a Fight of the Night war. Burns later fell through a five-fight losing streak and retired from MMA after a TKO loss to Mike Malott in April.
Chimaev has used Real American Freestyle as his public stage while he waits on the Octagon. He pinned Dillon Danis in 44 seconds at RAF 10 in June, then pinned Tyron Woodley in 1:34 at RAF Moscow on Sept. 5.
The former UFC middleweight champion lost that belt to Sean Strickland in May. He has said he wants another MMA booking this year and has also said he will step away if one does not come.
RAF 13 is built around other UFC names as well. Colby Covington meets Belal Muhammad in the main event, with Luke Rockhold and Joe Pyfer also on the Miami card.
Saturday shifts the story back to 155 pounds. Tsarukyan (23-3) faces Ruffy (14-2) in a five-round co-main event at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sept. 19.
Tsarukyan has not fought in the UFC since he submitted Dan Hooker with an arm-triangle on Nov. 22, 2025. The Armenian contender remains near the top of the lightweight line and has treated this booking as the last clean path to a title shot.
“If I lose this fight, I’m never going to see a title fight,” Tsarukyan said on his YouTube channel. He also said he is taking Ruffy as if the fight itself is the title opportunity.
Ruffy arrives with knockout momentum. The Fighting Nerds product stopped Michael Chandler at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14 and had previously finished Rafael Fiziev.
The styles collide in an obvious way. Tsarukyan wants wrestling and control over five rounds, while Ruffy’s route is one clean shot on the feet.
Dana White has not promised a title fight even if Tsarukyan wins. That is why the co-main carries more weight than a standard ranked pairing.
The two friends have trained together at The Treigning Lab and have cornered each other before. Chimaev is expected in Tsarukyan’s corner in Los Angeles after he wrestles Friday night, and streamer N3on has said he will work that corner as well.
Chimaev has already drawn a sharp line between the two men. He called Ruffy one of the best strikers in the UFC right now, then said Tsarukyan’s wrestling and grappling sit on a different level.
UFC 331 is headlined by flyweight champion Joshua Van against former champion Alexandre Pantoja. The lightweight co-main is the bout that decides whether Tsarukyan stays in the title conversation or falls out of it.
The week is simple on paper and crowded in practice. Friday is a wrestling rematch in Miami. Saturday is a five-round lightweight fight in Los Angeles that Tsarukyan has already framed as do-or-die.