Arman Tsarukyan has claimed that he is the back-up fighter for UFC 317’s main event.Ilia Topuria fights Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title in the headline act of UFC 317, meaning Tsarukyan would step in on short notice to fight for the belt should either man pull out.Tsarukyan boasts a 22-3 professional MMA record and is unbeaten in his last fourGettyTsarukyan is the No.1 ranked UFC lightweight, having defeated Oliveira in his last fight at UFC 300 in April.He was then scheduled to contest for his first title in the promotion against lightweight king Islam Makhachev in January, but withdrew from the UFC 311 main event bout at the last minute with an injured back.This put him in UFC President and CEO Dana White‘s bad books, which is the reason why he wasn’t selected to fight Topuria for the belt at UFC 317.Makhachev then defended the belt for the fourth time against Renato Moicano before White announced the Russian was dropping the belt to move up to welterweight.But it looks like Tsarukyan could be in for another shot at UFC gold if something happens to Topuria or Oliveira.“I’m the backup for UFC 317,” Tsarukyan said on Monday morning via Instagram, responding to a fan who asked what was next for the Armenian.The 28-year-old is arguably a bigger threat to Topuria than a fight against Oliveira will turn out to be.He made his UFC debut in April 2019 against Makhachev, losing to the Russian via unanimous decision in what is one of just two defeats in the promotion.The other came in June 2022 at the hands of No.7 ranked lightweight Mateusz Gamrot in a Fight of the Night five-rounder.After that defeat, Tsarukyan defeated Damir Ismagulov before picking up stoppage wins over Joaquim Silva and Beneil Dariush en route to his status as the number one contender at 155lbs.Tsarukyan responded to a fan asking who was next, revealing he is the backup fighter@Arm_011 - InstagramThis means that he would step in for the main event should Topuria or Oliveira withdrawGettyTsarukyan won’t be the only top lightweight to have one eye on the ramifications of UFC 317.Liverpool’s UFC star Paddy Pimblett has admitted he would like Topuria next, saying that he has already mapped out a game plan with his team on how to beat the Spaniard.This followed comments from No.3 ranked Justin Gaethje, who had been rumoured to fight Pimblett next but said he only wants to fight the winner of Topuria vs Oliveira next.So, if both Topuria and Oliveira make it to UFC 317, we could get Tsarukyan fighting Pimblett in a title eliminator bout next, with Gaethje fighting the original winner.Tsarukyan said last month that he would fight Pimblett this summer in a UFC lightweight title eliminator.He then took to X and said Pimblett’s career was ‘built on handouts, hype, and shortcuts to the top.’Tsarukyan beat fan-favourite Oliveira at UFC 300 in his last appearanceGettyPimblett defeated Michael Chandler in his last fight at UFC 314GettyPimblett responded: “I never said I wouldn’t fight you. It’s just nobody cares about you after pulling out against Islam because of a ‘back injury’. We all know you were menstruating really you sausage.”That fight would no doubt draw big numbers for the UFC, but one between Topuria and Pimblett would be even bigger.Topuria has said ahead of UFC 371 that he would ‘love’ to fight Pimblett next if it was his decision.The pair share a mutual dislike for one another as part of a long rivalry that spans many years.“Honestly, if I could choose a fight, I would fight him, because I hate him,” Topuria explained.“He’s a pain in the a**. I’d love to give that fight to the fans, because I believe that you haven’t seen a real fight in the UFC for a long time. “I know what’s going to happen, and it won’t be good for him…[it would be] what’s happened with everyone else.“Two people who really want to fight each other, and what better way than to fight in front of everyone and put on a show.Due to his status as a former featherweight champion, Topuria was promoted to fight for the lightweight belt when it was revealed that Makhachev would vacate the title.He leapfrogged top-ranked UFC lightweights such as Gaethje, Dustin Poirier and Pimblett to fight for the belt.Topuria knocked out Alexander Volkanovski to win the featherweight strap at UFC 298 in February 2024.‘El Matador’ then handed Max Holloway the first knockout defeat of his career eight months later at UFC 308 to retain the belt.