Arman Tsarukyan embraced his inner fan at UFC 324. Watching the interim lightweight title bout between Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett from cageside in Las Vegas, the top-ranked contender appeared to be having the time of his life.

Tsarukyan was conspicuously omitted when UFC 324’s main event was announced for interim gold in November, despite sitting atop the division’s rankings, so if given the choice he would’ve gladly traded places with Pimblett in the blue corner. But cameras still caught Tsarukyan animatedly celebrating every moment of Gaethje’s success en route to Saturday’s lopsided judges’ verdict. He explained his reactions Tuesday on Uncrowned’s “The Ariel Helwani Show.”

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“I was enjoying every moment when Gaethje clipped him. [Pimblett is] a b****,” Tsarukyan said. “He doesn’t deserve to be there. That’s why I was happy. Now UFC can see why they put the trash can there. He never deserved to be there.

“I would beat both of them on the same night, even [two on one]. Same night, I could beat them. One retirement and one young kid [who’s not experienced]. Gaethje, he’s good, but he got tired from the second round. He dropped [Pimblett] and he couldn’t stop him because he was tired from the first round. Paddy Pimblett, he has zero MMA skills. He just has chin, and that’s it dot com. This is my new word.”

The Gaethje matchup represented a significant step up in competition for Pimblett. Despite entering UFC 324 on a seven-fight winning streak, the popular Liverpudlian had yet to face a top-five lightweight opponent. Even so, his momentum and star power were enough to convince the oddsmakers, who installed Pimblett as a comfortable betting favorite.

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In the end, Gaethje’s experience, composure and durability proved decisive. Pimblett endured multiple knockdowns and absorbed the most punishment of his career. While many praised Pimblett’s resilience in defeat, Tsarukyan saw the performance as further confirmation of some long-held doubts.

“He has zero technique, to be honest,” Tsarukyan said of Pimblett with a laugh. “I feel like everybody can beat him. The good fighters who are in their prime from top 15, everybody can beat [him] unless it’s like Michael Chandler, because Michael Chandler, UFC made him to be on the top 15 as well. If you go through the list, Benoit [Saint Denis], [Rafael] Fiziev, me, [Charles] Oliveira, [Max] Holloway, everybody can beat him. Dan Hooker beats him, 100%.

“He needs to take a break for five, six years after that fight. He got dropped like 15 times. So bad for his brain. He was stupid, now he’s going to be even crazier after this fight.

“Worst UFC fighter. He’s so bad,” Tsarukyan continued. “… This trash can, he’s zero fighter. Not because I hate him, but because it’s real like that. If you give me Paddy, I would play, and I would decide during the fight what I should do — knock him out or choke him out, like with Hooker. He was overconfident because he beat the trash cans like Chandler, Bobby [King] Green, [Tony] Ferguson. Ferguson was good at one point, but he was not in his prime, that’s why [Pimblett] could beat him. But if Ferguson was five, six years ago, he could beat him.”

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With Gaethje now holding the interim title, a unification fight between “The Highlight” and returning champion Ilia Topuria now looms. Tsarukyan, however, questions not only whether the matchup fundamentally makes sense, but also whether timing will even allow it to materialize.

“[Gaethje and Pimblett’s skill levels are] here, under table. Ilia, on the table. It’s a big difference. It no makes sense to even put Gaethje versus Topuria. It’s just waste of time,” Tsarukyan said.

Tsarukyan was previously scheduled to challenge then-lightweight champion Islam Makhachev in early 2025 before a neck injury forced him to withdraw on weigh-in day. He returned in November at UFC Qatar, submitting Dan Hooker via second-round arm triangle choke.

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Hooker now returns this Saturday, Jan. 31, against Benoit Saint Denis in the co-main event of UFC 325, reopening broader reflections on the bout between the two. The rivalry between Tsarukyan and Hooker escalated during their weigh-in staredown for UFC Qatar, when Tsarukyan infamously head-butted Hooker.

On Monday’s edition of “The Ariel Helwani Show,” Hooker claimed the incident broke his nose — an allegation Tsarukyan firmly rejected.

“That’s a bulls***. No, no, no. He didn’t broke his nose from [the head-butt],” Tsarukyan said. “He broke from the fight. What he’s talking about? And it didn’t matter after the fight. Of course [he broke his nose] from my knee — I knee him straight to the nose. Even if I break his nose, bro, when you break nose or hit hard, your nose bruises. You can feel something happen — you broke the nose and it’s getting big. He has same nose [after weigh-ins]. That’s a bulls***.”

For now, Tsarukyan remains on standby — vocal, confident and still waiting for the title opportunity he believes should already be his.