A pair of top 15 UFC lightweights are set to collide in February.
TASS was the first to report the news that No. 13 ranked lightweight Arman Tsarukyan will fight No. 15 Joel Alvarez on February 26 at a yet-to-be-announced UFC event. Both fighters would confirm the fight on social media, with Alvarez first hinting of the fight two weeks ago.
Tsarukyan (17-2) has been on a roll since losing his UFC debut to Islam Makhachev in 2019. Three months after losing that fight, the Armenian fighter got back to work and defeated Olivier Aubin-Mercier via unanimous decision. Tsarukyan then defeated Davi Ramos, Matt Frevola, and most recently, he picked up his first UFC finish by defeating Christos Giagos via TKO.
Just like his opponent, Alvarez (19-2) has been on fire since losing his UFC debut and is also riding a four-fight win streak. “El Fenómeno” holds a 100% finish rate and has 16 first-round finishes. Alvarez finished Thiago Moisés earlier this year, taking his No. 15 ranking in the process. However, the Spanish fighter has missed weight in his last two fights.
No location, venue, or broadcast plan has been officially announced for the February 5 event. Islam Makhachev and Beneil Dariush are expected to headline the show. The UFC’s February 26 Fight Night card currently breaks down as follows:
- Islam Makhachev vs. Beneil Dariush
- Arman Tsarukyan vs. Joel Alvarez
- Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Zhu Rong
- Hannah Goldy vs. Jinh Yu Frey
