A top-15 matchup between Lightweights Arman Tsarukyan and Joaquim Silva has been announced for UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs. Vettori on June 17 in Enterprise, Nevada, inside the UFC Apex, per Brett Okamoto.
This fight takes place in the Lightweight (155 lbs) division.
Arman Tsarukyan holds a professional record of 19-3 (6-2 UFC) and is ranked #8 in the Lightweight division. He holds notable wins over. Damir Ismagulov, Joel Álvarez, and Matt Frevola.
Joaquim Silva is currently unranked in the Lightweight division and holds a professional record of 12-3 (5-3 UFC), with noteworthy wins coming against Jared Gordon, Jesse Ronson, and Reza Madadi.
Official odds have yet to be released.
Arman Tsarukyan is one of the most feared Lightweights in the division. He's coming off a highlight in 2022, where he scored a bloody TKO against Joel Álvarez before losing a controversial Fight of The Night decision to Mateusz Gamrot. However, he rebounded with a victory vs. Damir Ismagulov, setting up his next bout against Silva. In his last bout, he showed dominant grappling against UFC undefeated Ismagulov, earning 30-27 scorecards from all three judges. He'll be looking to make a statement against Silva to secure a higher-ranked matchup next.
This will be Joaquim Silva's biggest fight of his career. With stop-start UFC beginnings (going 4-3 in his first seven bouts), Silva enjoyed a successful 2022, rebounding from back-to-back losses against Ricky Glenn and Nasrat Haqparast. First, he submitted Neil Magny in a grappling matchup, and then he secured a devastating flying knee TKO against Jesse Ronson. He'll want to build off these two victories and look to use his dangerous striking against Tsarukyan to secure the most significant win of his career.
Who do you have winning this matchup? Do you think Silva can pull off the upset? Or will Tsarukyan be far too much to handle? Either way, as a member of the Verdict Community, let us know your prediction in the comments below.