Arman Tsarukyan appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show and addressed his UFC BJJ plans, his role with RAF, and how the money from both organizations compares to what he earns in the UFC.
When Helwani mentioned that Claudia Gadelha of UFC BJJ had spoken about a potential matchup between Tsarukyan and Mikey Musumeci, Arman confirmed that the matchup is real.
“Yeah, it’s a real thing. It’s probably going to be in August or September,” he said. “I want to do that. But we still… I got to do one grappling before him because this is the new rules. I got to see how it works.”
During the conversation, Helwani asked whether Tsarukyan’s RAF earnings were beginning to approach what he makes from the UFC.
“Yes,” Arman said. “Yeah, it’s the best.”
Helwani had referenced a prior comment from Tsarukyan in which he claimed RAF’s valuation had climbed to $110 million since his involvement, and Arman confirmed it with a “Yep.”
When asked if he had pushed for a financial stake in that growth, Arman said he had raised it and that the conversation was continuing.
“They’re saying we got to talk about that. They didn’t say yes. They didn’t say no. So they cool. For the next one, we go and talk. Maybe more money,” he said.
He also connected the RAF pay discussion to the failed Dillon Danis match, which had been scheduled for early April before falling through.
“They couldn’t pay as much as I wanted. If they pay me good money, yes. I don’t want to go there. Now I’m making money. So I don’t want to just go there just for fun,” he said.
Despite the financial appeal of grappling events and the ability to compete monthly without a weight cut, Tsarukyan was clear about where his focus remains.
“I enjoy figh ting. Fig ht excites me more than RAF. UFC for me is more exciting,” he said.
He also laid out his schedule going forward: “May 30, and then maybe UFC BJJ, and then UFC, and then WWE.”
On the ultimate goal, he said: “I want to, I just don’t want to be like just a champion. I want to be the best UFC fig hter, pound-for-pound figh ter.” He continued, “I wake up thinking when I’m going to get my next fig ht and go to bed thinking about UFC as well. The UFC motivates me more than everything in this life right now.”
