While it was a triumphant night for lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 311, it was a missed opportunity for Arman Tsarukyan, who got injured just a day before the original headliner. During the post-fight press conference, Dana White claimed that the Armenian star won’t be getting an immediate title fight on his return because he missed his shot. Now, Tsarukyan has got to ‘go back to the drawing board’ but it didn’t seem to bother the 28-year-old lightweight contender.

The initial main event of UFC 311 was really hyped as the most anticipated lightweight title fight in recent memory. The last time Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan met, they delivered a technical masterclass, but for it to happen again, Arman Tsarukyan will have to add a few more wins under his belt, and guess what? Despite the last-minute injury before UFC 311, ‘Ahalkalakets’ is ready to show his mettle.

Following Dana White’s comments, Arman Tsarukyan claimed that he’ll happily earn his way back to title contention and is adamant about proving why he is the real contender to Islam Makhachev’s throne. “I agree with [Dana White]. Once my back heals, I’ll be ready to prove I’m the true #1 contender by taking on anyone they put in front of me,” ‘Ahalkalakets’ wrote on X.

Now, fans don’ have any idea about when Tsarukyan would make his return. However, the Armenian star’s coach recently had an interview where he revealed the extent of his fighter’s injury situation. Here’s what he had to say.

How bad is Arman Tsarukyan’s injury?

Everything was going well until Arman Tsarukyan had his last sparring session before the fight week commenced. According to his coach, Marcos Da Matta, the #1 ranked lightweight contender hurt his back, which left him unable to stand, let alone walk properly. Tsarukyan decided to take some time off to heal from his injury, but he continued to feel some pain, which rendered him unable to compete in the biggest fight of his career.

“The last sparring session he tweaked his back a little bit. It wasn’t too bad. We thought it’s just the end of the camp. The body’s feeling it. And then he took a few days off. He was fine. And then we start fight week and everything was going great,” Tsarukyan’s coach told MMA Junkie. “The spasm, the pain was there, but he was powering through it. He never thought about not fighting. Never. He did so much for this camp.”

Well, there are different theories as to why Arman Tsarukyan pulled out. Some believe he may have failed to make the weight limit, but his coach dismissed that rumor. Nevertheless, it will take some time for him to get back into title contention, so let us know your thoughts on Tsarukyan’s response to Dana White taking away his title fight chances in the comments down below.