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On Thursday morning, the UFC announced the full main card for UFC 331 on September 19th in Los Angeles featuring Joshua Van vs. Alexandre Pantoja for the flyweight title and a lightweight contender match between Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy.<\/p>\n
Tsarukyan vs. Ruffy is an interesting match-up, but a bit of a swerve after weeks of reports that Tsarukyan would be facing Charles Oliveira in a rematch of their razor close UFC 300 fight. What happened to elicit the switch? According to UFC commentator Daniel Cormier, it was the shocking death of Oliveira\u2019s Chute Boxe teammate and \u2018brother\u2019 Allan Nascimento on Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s unfortunate because we would have loved to see [Tsarukyan] and Oliveira have a rematch,\u201d Cormier said in a new YouTube video. \u201cThe first fight was tremendous. Arman actually hit a fan on the way to the octagon! But unfortunately, Charles\u2019 teammate passed away, and that\u2019s why I believe we\u2019re not getting that fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, those guys down there, Oliveira and their team, they\u2019re all so close. So I think that\u2019s why we\u2019re not getting the Charles fight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I\u2019m being honest, guys, Arman Tsarukyan told me in Abu Dhabi that it was going to be him and Oliveira,\u201d Cormier said. \u201cNo BMF title, it was gonna be him and Oliveira fighting in Los Angeles. And Arman told me he just wants to continue to fight to essentially make himself undeniable because he wants a title opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYesterday, we got [the news] that he\u2019s fighting against Mauricio Ruffy,\u201d he continued. \u201cThat\u2019s a dangerous fight with not as much upside because Ruffy, while he is good and while he did have that great win at the White House, he doesn\u2019t have the name value of Charles Oliveira. Arman Tsarukyan saying yes to this fight, I believe, strengthens his case over anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow he\u2019s saying yes to everybody and everything, under any type of fighting situation. That makes you a guy that everybody wants to work with.\u201d<\/p>\n
UFC 331 also features Renato Moicano vs. Brian Ortega, Marlon \u201cChito\u201d Vera vs. Charles Jourdain, Gable Steveson vs. Sean Sharaf, and Tai Tuivasa vs. Robelis Despaigne.<\/p>\n