Two fighters of Armenian descent will compete at UFC 331 on September 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, reports Zartonk Sports. Lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan features in the co-main event against Brazil’s Mauricio Ruffy, while middleweight Edmen Shahbazyan faces Brazil’s Brunno Ferreira on the same card.
Tsarukyan, ranked No. 2 at lightweight, returns to the Octagon for the first time since November in a five-round fight with major title implications. He had been expected to rematch former champion Charles Oliveira, but Oliveira withdrew from the card for personal reasons following the death of his longtime teammate Allan Nascimento, and Ruffy stepped in as the replacement.
Tsarukyan enters on a five-fight winning streak with a professional record of 23-3, going 10-2 inside the UFC. He last competed in November, submitting Dan Hooker in Qatar to earn a Performance of the Night bonus, his first fight since he withdrew from a lightweight title bout against Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 on weigh-in day in January 2025. Ruffy has knocked out both Michael Chandler and Rafael Fiziev in the opening round of his last two fights, making him one of the division’s most dangerous finishers. A win for Tsarukyan is widely expected to earn him another shot at the lightweight title.
The card’s second Armenian fighter, Edmen Shahbazyan, returns to the Octagon for the first time since June. Born and raised in Glendale, California, the 28-year-old is one of the UFC’s most recognizable fighters of Armenian descent. Nicknamed “The Golden Boy,” he earned his UFC contract through Dana White’s Contender Series in 2018 and built a reputation for aggressive striking and finishing power, drawing strong support from Armenian fans throughout his career.
Shahbazyan enters with a 16-6 record. He last fought on June 6, dropping a unanimous decision to Brendan Allen that snapped a three-fight winning streak, though the bout earned Fight of the Night honors. His opponent, Brunno Ferreira, known as “The Hulk,” went 3-0 in 2025 with a decision over former title challenger Marvin Vettori before losing back-to-back fights this year to Gregory Rodrigues and Ikram Aliskerov, leaving him at 15-4.
UFC 331 is headlined by a flyweight title rematch between champion Joshua Van and former champion Alexandre Pantoja. The event is the UFC’s first in Los Angeles since 2018.
