Arman Tsarukyan says his UFC 331 comeback will also mark the debut of a new public identity. The 29-year-old revealed that he plans to fight under the nickname Batman when he returns to the Octagon against Mauricio Ruffy in the UFC 331 co-main event. The change replaces Ahalkalakets, the moniker connected to Tsarukyan’s birthplace in Georgia. Rather than presenting the switch as a one-off promotional line, Tsarukyan described it as a response to the name fans have increasingly used for him during his time away from the UFC.
Tsarukyan’s announcement gives a clearer label to a fan-driven shift that has developed while he remained active outside the promotion. According to the report, he has competed 12 times outside the UFC, most often in Real American Freestyle Wrestling, while also increasing his social-media output. That activity helped Batman become associated with him in place of Ahalkalakets. UFC 331 now provides the first stated occasion on which Tsarukyan intends to make that informal fan name his official nickname in competition.
Why Arman Tsarukyan chose Batman
Tsarukyan explained on The Ariel Helwani Show that he had changed his nickname. His previous name, Ahalkalakets, was a reference to the place where he was born in Georgia. The report says the word translates to someone from Akhalkalaki. That gave the old nickname a direct personal and geographic meaning, but Tsarukyan indicated that the newer name reflects the way his audience has come to identify him. “The fans keep calling me ‘Batman’ so, I’m just gonna go by Batman,” Tsarukyan said. The wording makes the decision notable because it is rooted in an existing fan association rather than an unexplained rebrand. In practical terms, UFC 331 is positioned as the point where the name moves from a popular label to the nickname Tsarukyan says he will use for his return. The change does not alter the matchup itself: Tsarukyan is scheduled to face Mauricio Ruffy over five rounds in the co-main event. It does, however, give the event an additional piece of confirmed context around Tsarukyan’s comeback, with his chosen name now part of how that appearance will be presented.
The reported timeline also helps frame why the nickname news arrives with this particular fight. Tsarukyan’s last UFC outing was last November, when the source says he dominated Dan Hooker at UFC Qatar. He then stayed busy beyond the promotion, accumulating 12 matches outside the UFC before his return. The article identifies most of those appearances as Real American Freestyle Wrestling contests. That stretch is relevant to the nickname story because it is the period in which Batman became the name supporters repeatedly used for Tsarukyan. UFC 331 was not initially described as a Ruffy matchup. Tsarukyan had been expected to meet Charles Oliveira in a rematch of their UFC 300 fight, according to the report. The booked five-round contest against Ruffy is therefore the confirmed return fight attached to the Batman announcement, while the Oliveira rematch remains part of the reported earlier expectation rather than the current pairing.
What UFC 331 means for Tsarukyan’s return
Tsarukyan is expected to return in September at UFC 331 in Los Angeles, with Ruffy assigned as his opponent. The five-round co-main event gives the new nickname a prominent setting, but the report’s firm news is the name change and the scheduled comeback, not a guaranteed outcome. Tsarukyan has said he is hoping his first appearance as Batman leads to a title shot, potentially against Justin Gaethje. The source further reports that Tsarukyan claims he has been guaranteed a title shot with a win. It also says he claims the UFC has provided options for a vacant-title fight if Gaethje retires. Those are Tsarukyan’s stated expectations, not confirmed UFC announcements in the supplied material. The immediate, established next event is his five-round meeting with Ruffy. For readers, the distinction matters. Batman is the confirmed nickname Tsarukyan says he will debut at UFC 331. His desired title opportunity is a stated ambition tied to the result of that fight. Keeping those points separate preserves the significance of the rebrand without turning an unconfirmed future scenario into settled fact.
- Former nickname: Ahalkalakets, a reference to Tsarukyan’s birthplace in Georgia and a term translated in the report as someone from Akhalkalaki.
- New nickname: Batman, the name Tsarukyan says he will adopt because fans have been calling him that.
| Reported point | Confirmed detail from the source |
|---|---|
| Last UFC fight | The report says Tsarukyan dominated Dan Hooker at UFC Qatar last November. |
| UFC 331 opponent | Tsarukyan is scheduled to face Mauricio Ruffy over five rounds in the co-main event. |
Arman Tsarukyan’s UFC 331 return will carry more than a new opponent and a five-round co-main event assignment. It will be his first UFC appearance under the Batman nickname, replacing a name tied to his hometown. The source-backed timeline shows how that fan-used label emerged during his active stretch outside the UFC. The next confirmed step is clear: Tsarukyan says Batman will make its Octagon debut when he faces Mauricio Ruffy.
Sources: Bloody Elbow
Fight Talk
Share your take on this story
Start the Conversation
Be the first to share your take. Discuss the fight, reactions, and predictions with other fans.