Arman Tsarukyan remains widely regarded as the leading contender in the UFC lightweight division, despite not receiving a title shot since withdrawing from his scheduled bout with Islam Makhachev in January 2025.
While waiting for another opportunity, Tsarukyan has stayed active. He has competed in wrestling events such as RAF and maintained visibility through interviews, streams and media appearances across the sport.
That activity continued last Wednesday during an interview with Ariel Helwani. In that conversation, ‘Ahalkalakets’ made a surprising revelation about his long-term plans beyond his MMA career.
Tsarukyan revealed he is already thinking about life after fighting, pointing to a path similar to Ronda Rousey’s transition following her MMA career.
He told Helwani that he wants to join WWE or start starring in movies.
“WWE? That’s my goal… I’m 29. At 37, it’s a good time to go and start doing WWE or movies. We’ll see,” the lightweight contender said.
Rousey is one of the best examples of how to handle a career after its peak. She stepped away from MMA after just two consecutive losses to Holly Holm and Amanda Nunes.
She then moved into professional wrestling, signing with WWE and building a second career outside the Octagon. Beyond that, she also featured in movies of important sagas, such as Fast and Furious and The Expendables.
Rousey is not the only fighter to make that move between combat sports and professional wrestling.
Brock Lesnar famously transitioned from WWE into the UFC, becoming heavyweight champion before eventually returning to wrestling after retiring from MMA.
Cain Velasquez, another former UFC heavyweight champion, also followed that route. He signed with WWE in 2019 after bringing his fighting career to a close, but his tenure there was short due to the pandemic.
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