Tsarukyan Calls for Michael Chandler UFC Release After Fourth Straight Loss

Four losses in a row — and now one of the lightweight division’s top contenders is publicly asking the UFC to act on it. Arman Tsarukyan went on The Ariel Helwani Show and called for Michael Chandler’s release from the roster, days after Chandler suffered a fourth-round TKO loss to Mauricio Ruffy at UFC Freedom 250.

“Please cut him. Just fire him. Tell UFC they’ve got to fire him,” Tsarukyan said. “He is losing all of his fights.” The quote is blunt enough that it didn’t need context, but the record behind it makes it harder to argue with: Chandler hasn’t won an MMA fight since 2022, and his last seven outings produced one win and six losses.

What separates Tsarukyan’s comments from a simple pile-on is the caveat that came with them. He acknowledged Chandler’s physical conditioning at 40 as genuinely remarkable — “to have this physique at 40 years old is something crazy” — before landing on the harder conclusion: a great body can’t substitute for a chin that no longer holds up under fire.

Chandler’s Record Since 2022

The numbers have been building toward this conversation for a while. Since his last win in 2022, Chandler has taken losses to Paddy Pimblett, Charles Oliveira, Dustin Poirier, and now Ruffy — four consecutive defeats, three of them finishes. The Ruffy loss was perhaps the most pointed, given that many observers considered it a mismatch before the opening bell. Chandler took the fight anyway and got stopped in round four.

For the better part of three years, the UFC kept booking him — partly on the strength of his name recognition, partly because of his willingness to take short-notice calls and difficult matchups, and partly due to the Conor McGregor coaching season on The Ultimate Fighter keeping him visible when he wasn’t competing. None of that changes what the scorecards and stoppages have produced.

Where Chandler Goes From Here

The UFC has not commented on Chandler’s roster status. His relationship with the promotion runs deep enough that analyst or broadcast work has been floated as a natural landing spot if the fighting career reaches its end. Some fans have suggested the RAF promotion — a format that would reduce the striking damage he’s been absorbing — as an alternative competitive route. Whether Chandler himself views his career as finished is not yet known; he hasn’t spoken publicly since the Ruffy loss.

• Chandler lost to Mauricio Ruffy by fourth-round TKO at UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday
• His record since 2022: one win, six losses — four defeats in a row
• Tsarukyan on The Ariel Helwani Show called for the UFC to cut Chandler from the roster
• Tsarukyan noted Chandler’s physical conditioning at 40, but said his chin “is no longer there”

What Tsarukyan’s Comments Reveal About the Lightweight Division

Arman Tsarukyan is not a disinterested party here. Ranked in the top five at lightweight, he competes in the same division Chandler has occupied for years. Calling out an ageing fighter’s roster spot isn’t entirely disconnected from the broader question of who takes his place in the rankings and the booking queue. That said, the underlying argument is hard to dismiss — four straight losses, three by finish, against a range of opponents, is a pattern that typically triggers a release regardless of a fighter’s legacy.

Chandler’s situation also carries weight because of what it signals about the UFC’s tolerance policies. The promotion has historically given veterans extended runs when the broader relationship has value — appearances, coaching, promotional duties. Whether that calculus still applies to Chandler after Sunday’s result is a decision that rests entirely with UFC management. Tsarukyan has made his position clear; the rest of the lightweight division is likely watching to see whether the UFC agrees.

The UFC has made no public statement on Chandler’s roster status following the UFC Freedom 250 result.