When Arman Tsarukyan first made his UFC debut, fighting for a title never crossed his mind.

Fast forward six years and that's exactly what 'Akhalkalakets' will do when he steps back inside the Octagon on January 18. On that night, Tsarukyan will square off with reigning and defending lightweight world champion Islam Makhaev at UFC 311 inside the Intuit Dome in The City of Angels -- Los Angeles, California.

It will be the second-ever meeting between Makhachev and Tsarukyan after the 'Dagestani Destroyer' spoiled Tsarukyan's UFC debut all the way back in April 2019.

Since then, Tsarukyan has gone 9-1 under the UFC banner with his most recent wins coming against Beneil Dariush and former 155-pound titleholder Charles Oliveira. Those victories secured him the top spot in the lightweight division, guaranteeing him a long-awaited rematch with Makhachev.

Looking back on his career, Tsarukyan recalls never once thinking about challenging for a UFC title. That is, until the first time he got his hand raised inside the Octagon.

"When I got to the UFC, I didn't think about the UFC belt and everything," Tsarukyan said in an interview with ESPN MMA. "I just wanted to get into the top 15. But after my first win, I wanted to be a champion, and I started thinking about the championship. When Islam got the belt, I said I want to fight Islam for the belt. So, it's a rematch and a fight for the belt."

Overall, Arman Tsarukyan is 22-3 in his mixed martial arts career with nine of his victories coming in the UFC. He goes into his first title shot riding a four-fight win streak including back-to-back knockouts against Joaquim Silva and Dariush.