Michael Bisping: BMF winner could leapfrog Arman Tsarukyan for lightweight title shot
michael bisping says the winner of the BMF title fight between Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira at UFC 326 on March 7 could leapfrog Arman Tsarukyan in the lightweight title picture, a development that would reshape who gets next in line for an undisputed belt.
Michael Bisping on BMF winner leapfrogging Tsarukyan
On his YouTube channel, Michael Bisping suggested that a dramatic result in the UFC 326 headliner — Max Holloway versus Charles Oliveira for the BMF belt — could push the victor ahead of Arman Tsarukyan, even though Justin Gaethje currently holds the interim lightweight title and a unification bout with Ilia Topuria is expected. Bisping used vivid examples of a sensational finish, saying a show-stopping Oliveira performance could prompt fans and the promotion to fast-track that winner toward the undisputed picture.
How the UFC 326 main event could alter the pecking order
UFC 326 is scheduled for March 7 at T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with the Holloway–Oliveira rematch carrying the BMF belt. Bisping noted both Holloway and Oliveira were knocked out by Ilia Topuria in separate fights, and he highlighted Justin Gaethje’s status as interim champion as a factor that would ordinarily direct the next title shot toward a unification bout with Topuria.
Tsarukyan’s current status and next fights
Arman Tsarukyan (23-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC) has been pushed aside from the immediate title picture after withdrawing from his scheduled fight with Islam Makhachev at UFC 311 and for an on-site incident when he head-butted Dan Hooker during the UFC Fight Night 265 weigh-in faceoff. Tsarukyan has remained active outside the octagon with grappling matches and is booked to meet Georgio Poullas in the RAF 6 co-main event at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Ariz.
michael bisping framed the scenario plainly: if Holloway or Oliveira delivers a sensational finish — even one that captures the crowd’s imagination the way Jose Aldo’s Rio celebration or Oliveira’s own October Rio moment did — the promotion and fans could push that BMF winner into undisputed-title contention, potentially leapfrogging Tsarukyan despite his claim as a top contender.
The immediate consequence is simple and concrete: the result on March 7 at T Mobile Arena will influence match-making around the undisputed lightweight belt, while Tsarukyan prepares for his RAF 6 co-main event at Mullett Arena in Tempe. The next confirmed events on the calendar are UFC 326’s Holloway vs. Oliveira on March 7 and Tsarukyan’s bout with Georgio Poullas at RAF 6 in Tempe.
