Arman Tsarukyan says a high-profile grappling showdown with Mikey Musumeci under UFC BJJ rules is being lined up for late summer.
Speaking about the potential matchup, Tsarukyan confirmed that talks are underway for August or September and laid out a busy competitive schedule leading into it.
“Yeah, it’s a real thing,” Tsarukyan said when asked about the Musumeci bout. “It’s probably going to be in August or September. So I want to do that but I still want to do one grappling before him because these are new rules, I got to see how it works. [So] May 30th, then maybe UFC BJJ, then UFC, and then WWE. That’s my goal, do a jump into the fans or some crazy things.”
Tsarukyan has competed seven times outside UFC since his last UFC win over Dan Hooker at UFC Qatar in November 2025, and says he plans to have another grappling match on May 30 under new rules before a potential UFC BJJ appearance. He also claims he is the backup for the Ilia Topuria vs. Justin Gaethje title fight at UFC White House, though this has not been confirmed by UFC.
Despite his grappling schedule and future WWE ambitions, Tsarukyan emphasized that his primary focus remains MMA.
“Right now my goal is UFC. I wake up thinking when I’m going to get my next fight and go to bed thinking about UFC as well. The UFC motivates me more than everything in this life right now. I just don’t want to be champion, I want to be the best UFC fighter, pound-for-pound. I’m 29, so I got seven years. For seven years, you can make a bunch of money, get a lot of belts, and then retire. I feel like 37 is a good time to go and do WWE.”
